The Wolf and The Flower
by Mia-Marauder-Potter
Summary: When her life in the other universe comes to an end, the Bad Wolf and the TARDIS takes Rose back to the beginning of her time with the Doctor so she can restart and change her time with the man she fell in love with, as she struggles to hide the life she has to rewrite, though it's all turned upside down when she goes back to the Game Station. Friends will visit. TWs in chapters.
1. Prologue

**Hey! So, quick note, I will be using a threat from Torchwood, but since it's in a different universe, it will be different as well.**

 **I'm not going into nearly as much detail as I could, mostly because I honestly don't feel like rewriting and refitting that entire plot line to fit the alternate universe.**

 **Anyways, enjoy!**

 **Prologue**

It was the words of a pissed off Mickey that she woke up to the first time. He was obviously not pleased, and she felt bad for whatever had caused him so much upset.

"-hell was she thinking?!" He whispered, his voice cracking into her peaceful rest and throwing her into partial consciousness. She wondered vaguely why he was so quiet if he was so upset – he usually liked to yell it off and take a walk or train some. He was never quiet. It wasn't his thing.

It was only when she tried to open her eyes that she realized something was wrong. They wouldn't budge. It was like she wasn't quiet _there_ enough to control her own body. She realized with a start that she felt the way she had when Cassandra had possessed her. Panic filled her, as well as dread, as she listened for clues on what was happening.

"She only did what she's always done," Pete replied, his voice thick. "You know that."

"She's… Pete, can she even come back from this?"

"No," her father whispered. "We're barely keeping her body alive now, and that's not supposed to be possible. She's not got any brain activity, either. I'm… she's gone. All we're doing now is keeping her body alive, and barely."

Rose paused, not able to listen to the anguish in Mickey's reply. They were talking about her. She knew they were. What had she done? They said she'd died, but she didn't… she couldn't remember.

It wasn't until she heard Mickey mutter three numbers that she remembered anything.

It wasn't until she remembered what happened that she began to wonder why she was still alive.

It wasn't until she wondered why she was alive that she felt a warm, familiar glow in the back of her mind.

The numbers that triggered all of this were, in her opinion, the most awful set of numbers she'd ever heard.

456.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Hecate, fall back! That is an order from your commander!" Pete Tyler growled in her ear piece, but Rose ignored him. She knew how serious he was – he didn't often use that codename, more likely calling her Valiant – but she didn't care. They'd finally found a way to get rid of these monsters, the 456, and she wasn't going to let that go.

"Sorry, Boss, but you know I can't," she finally said as she stood in front of the computers, ready to rid the world of the newest threat. "Besides, if anyone is likely to survive this, it's me. You ran the tests, you know I'm not completely human."

"But that doesn't mean you can survive _this_!" Pete yelled back, and she just shook her head sadly.

"I love you, you know that? You've been the best dad I could've asked for… Tell mum and Toby that I love them too, alright? And Mickey. Give him a whack upside the head for me if he does anything stupid, right?"

And then, pulling out her com, she gently placed the tech on her head and switched it on, sending away the creatures threatening the earth.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"My Wolf," Rose heard a voice call. She pulled herself from the memory and jumped, finding herself in a very familiar place with an oddly familiar woman standing in front of her.

"Who… how did I get here? I died."

The girl scowled slightly. "I know. I don't like it. I think we'll have to fix it, I don't like my Thief without you. He was too… what is that word? It's so large."

"How did this happen?" Rose asked, trying to bring her back to the matter at hand.

"Your meat died," the TARDIS told her with a soft smile. "So I decided to steal you."

"Steal me?"

"Oh, yes. And you'll be going back soon, all the way back. We won't talk like this again, but I'll sing to you."

"I don't- I'm going back? Back where? Back… when?"

"Oh, my clever Wolf. You'll see."

"But why?" Rose asked suddenly, as the golden light began to flow around her again. "Why bring me back?"

"Because my thief and I, we were too… too empty without you, My Wolf."

And then, before she could even begin to reply, that golden light enveloped her, and she was gone in a bright flash.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

 **Hey! So, I know this was short and definitely not the best beginning it could've been, but it'll do for now**

 **Disclaimer – I don't own Doctor Who or Torchwood.**


	2. Rose

**The Beginning – "Rose"**

Rose woke with a groan, rolling over and slapping her alarm. It took her only a second for her to remember what had happened. It wasn't every day you die and get sent back in time.

With a sideways grin, the girl slid off her bed and grabbed her phone from her dresser, where she'd left it to charge the night before… or four years prior. After a quick glance at the date, she knew the day and knew why she'd been sent back there.

She managed to dress herself in a more appropriate outfit for the running she planned on doing that day – comfortable jeans (skinny, as she had found they made her butt look great) a dark red top that came to her belly button, and her old leather jacket, which she hadn't worn since she was seventeen. She slipped on better shoes and skipped makeup before bouncing out of her flat excitedly, barely avoiding her mum.

The day was much the same as she remembered, though she made sure to have a serious talk with Mickey this time round at lunch.

"Mick, we should talk," she said with a bit of a sad smile. She rested against the fountain as her old friend raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she nodded, sighing inwardly. "I just… look, you're my best friend. My oldest friend, too. And I dunno, I've been doing some thinking. It's just that we're not… we're nothing more than content together."

He stared at her for a long moment, and she let him process her words, preparing herself for the anger she knew was about to spill over.

"You're breaking up with me!" He accused, and she nodded, shrugging slightly.

"I'm sorry, but we're not right for each other."

"I treated you well," he said defensively, and she nodded again, agreeing.

"You did, and you were bloody brilliant, but it's not right and I'm sure that, on some level, you get it too."

The lunch ended rather abruptly when he threw up his arms and stormed off, his frustration overcoming him. She sighed slightly. She hated hurting him, but it was better than dragging him along while she fell in love with someone else. She had to be fair this time.

She made her way through the rest of the day of work, folding clothes, cleaning dressing rooms, directing guests about. She could feel herself getting more excited for what she knew was to come. When the security guard stopped her, she reached out for the bag of cash, ready to go downstairs, but the guard put a hand on her shoulder.

"Rose," he said, a small smile on his face. She glanced up at him and blinked. It wasn't the same guard as last time. This one seemed familiar, but only because of his eyes. She'd only seen eyes like that on one other person before.

"Doctor," she whispered. It wasn't her Doctor – blue eyed or brown eyed. It was a new Doctor, one she hadn't met yet.

"My Rose Tyler, the bravest woman I've ever known," he grinned at her, and she felt a sob in her chest. His love for her was more than apparent on his face, and it took her breath away.

"Doctor, when… I- what're you doing here?" She asked softly, her eyes glued on him. His floppy hair and big chin and green eyes and little smirk. God, that smirk. She wished she could just kiss it off him.

"You told me that I was here, as the guard, so I'm here," he said before his grin widened. "And no kissing. Keep your head in the game, Tyler."

"Shut it," she rolled her eyes, doing her best not to blush. "So… if you're here, does that mean…?"

"Spoilers," he said before grimacing. "I'm starting to sound like River. Honestly, Rose, why you like having her around, I've no clue."

"Who?" She blinked at him and shook her head. "Don't tell me. I'm sure I'll find out."

The Doctor stared at her for another moment before taking her hands in his. She stared at them and noted in the back of her head that these hands were strong but soft, and they knew just how to stroke hers in the perfectly comforting manner, like they'd had years of practice. "I promise you'll get through this. I know you're excited now, Rose, but you've got to remember that you can't tell me anything until after Canary Wharf."

"I know," she sighed.

"Rose Tyler… oh, my Rose. I am so proud of you. You never cease to amaze me, you know that?"

Rose stared at him. There was nothing to say. It felt too much like a goodbye, and she wasn't sure she could handle another one of those.

After a long moment of just looking at each other, as the Doctor rubbed her hand gently, he handed her the money. "I'll be seeing you, Rose."

"I can't wait, Doctor," she replied with a slightly forced grin. He eased his hands away from her and she took a breath, steeling herself once more, and turned toward the elevator. She made to leave but after a moment's thought, she turned back and kissed him on the cheek. "Even if this doesn't work, even if I die again, it'll have been worth it."

She missed the shock on his face at the mention of her death as she ran to meet her first Doctor, leaving him to wonder and worry his way back to his TARDIS.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

She could only barely hold back a grin as she watched the Nestene back her against the wall. She was ready to run and she knew that even if the Doctor didn't grab her hand and tell her to, she could avoid being caught or hurt.

After a few slow seconds, she felt a hand slide into hers and heard a word whispered in her ear.

"Run."

And so she did.

As they made their way back to the elevator, she was surprised by just how quickly the plastic moved.

"They're plastic," she shouted to her leather Doctor.

"Yeah," he replied over his shoulder.

"They're plastic. How are they so fast?" She asked with a smile.

"Because they're not just plastic," he replied. She could tell he was already intrigued by her, because of the question, and mentally gave herself a pat on the back. They slid their way into the elevator and she watched as the Doctor slammed the close door button. Once he'd ripped an arm off, and the door had closed, she let out a laugh.

"They're plastic," she said again.

"Yep," he grinned, tossing her the arm.

"They're plastic, and they're alive," she said, forcing a frown on her face. "And they tried to kill me."

"Not you, me. You were just there, in the way."

"Does that… Wilson wouldn't open his door," she said slowly.

"Who's Wilson?" He wondered, glancing at her.

"Chief electrician," she explained.

"Wilson's dead."

Sometimes she forgot just how tactless he was.

The doors opened and the pair made their way out of the elevator, Rose still holding the arm. She watched him quietly as he turned to the button before turning back to her.

"Mind your eyes," he suggested, using the sonic to break the controls on the elevator. When he was finished, he twisted around her and continued, so she followed.

"Who are you, then?" She demanded, trying to sound upset. She wondered if she'd failed when he glanced back at her curiously, but he just kept going. "What's that lot down there?" When he didn't turn back and kept moving, she followed him. "Seriously, what was that?"

"Living plastic creatures called the Nestene consciousness," he explained. "Controlled by a relay device on the roof."

She winced. She'd almost forgotten he'd be blowing up the shop.

"Which would be a really great problem," he continued as he reached into a pocket to grab his bomb. "if I didn't have this. So, I'm gonna go upstairs and blow it up."

She raised an eyebrow at that as she allowed herself to be ushered from the building. She wasn't sure how he'd survived the blast, but she didn't want to find out first hand that it was a special Time Lord trick and not something she could survive. So, she was perfectly content waiting in safety.

"And I might well die in the process, but don't worry about me. No, go on, go home. You go have your lovely beans on toast. Don't tell them all about this, cause if you do, you'll get them killed."

She rolled her eyes at that as he closed the door before opening it again with a grin on his face. "I'm the Doctor, by the way, and you are?"

"Rose," she said firmly. "Rose Tyler."

"Nice to meet you, Rose Tyler," he said, holding up the bomb. "Run for your life!"

And so, with the Nestene arm in hand, she made her way across the street to watch the explosion. When the bomb went off, she shook her head fondly and made her way back to her apartment, giving only a longing and promising glance at the TARDIS on her way.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

To her surprise, Mickey showed up again.

"Mickey, really, I'm fine," she promised him. "C'mon, there's a match on at the pub. Why don't you go catch the last few minutes? I just need some sleep."

"Are you sure?" he asked, a slightly hopeful look in his eyes as she dismissed him. Apparently, he'd felt like it was more of a necessary thing than something he wanted to do, visiting her.

"Yeah, just take that thing with you," she prompted, nodding at the arm on her chair. He nodded firmly, doing as she said, and left.

With a deep sigh, Rose made her way to bed. The next day would be just as adventure filled as this one, and she knew she'd be needing her rest.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Doctor wandered around Powell Estate with his tracking device out. His mind kept wandering to the curiously calm golden eyed girl from the night before. When he'd first seen her, he felt his Time senses explode. It was as if she were the most important thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

The thought made him cringe.

It was her golden eyes that unnerved him. He was sure they _saw_ him. Not to mention, she didn't react anything like how he would expect someone at this point in human history to react. She kept her head about her, but she seemed genuinely excited, too, and ready to learn. How amazing! He usually had to teach his companions to love to learn.

When the beeping from his tracker stopped abruptly, he grinned. He'd found it! He dropped to the ground and unscrewed the cat flap. Just as he went to look through it, the door opened. He popped to his feet and blinked at the sight in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Rose, staring at her in confusion.

"I live here," she said, looking vaguely amused by him.

"What do you do that for?" He questioned. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Cause I do. And I'm only home because someone blew up my job," she said, though she seemed to be teasing rather than angry.

"Must've got the wrong signal," he muttered, pressing on his Sonic. "You're not plastic are you?" She ducked away from him before he could knock on her forehead. "No. Bonehead. Bye."

He turned to leave, but she grabbed his arm. "You. Inside. Right now."

And he was dragged into the Tyler flat.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose set about making tea quietly, allowing the Doctor his time to look in the mirror and glance around her flat.

"Rose Tyler," she heard him mutter, and turned to see him examining a piece of mail as if he was surprised she was actually who she said she was. "Eh, could've been worse."

She turned around in time to see him twitch his ears with his fingers and snorted. He really hadn't thought to check a mirror before leaving the TARDIS, had he?

She turned back to finish her tea and he sang quietly, picking up a deck of cards. God, he seemed so bored and he hadn't even been there for five minutes.

She wasn't able to hold back the laugh that bubbled up when the cards went flying to the floor from his hands, and he turned to give her an annoyed look.

"It's harder than it seems!"

"I'm sure," she assured him, thoroughly amused. She poured the tea as he asked about a cat, giving him only a moment before she dropped the pot and rushed over, slamming her knee onto his leg. She gripped the arm and tugged at it hard, forcing it to release the Doctor. It flew into the air and rounded on her and she barely managed to take a deep breath before it began choking her.

In the end, she and the Doctor ended up in a vaguely embarrassing position. He rolled off her, waved his sonic at the arm, and made a bad pun.

All in all, it was a typical day with her Doctor.

As they rushed down the steps together, Rose cleared her head. "Living plastic that you claim wants to kill ya. Why?"

"Good question. Because it wants to invade you apes, and I won't let it," he informed her, giving her an impressed look.

"So… it doesn't need a body, not like mine or yours? Just… plastic?"

"Yeah, exactly," he confirmed as they reached the bottom. He slowed a little this time, letting her continue to question him.

"How could it do that? Take over the plastic, I mean. Is all plastic… well, is it all that? Alien?"

"Yeah," he shrugged, his mind turning again. "

"How?" She asked.

"How?"

"Yeah. It wasn't like that last week. So how's it doing that now?"

"Oh," he grinned brightly at her. "Brilliant question! There's a transmitter, somewhere. Telling all the plastic in the world that it's gotta get up and attack you apes."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're rude?" She asked, feeling slightly offended. She thought she was doing pretty well, considering.

"Probably!" He said brightly as they came to a stop sign. Rose remembered this spot. It was where the Doctor had let her feel the earth turning. A shiver went down her spine at the memory.

"Are you the police?" She asked him with a disbelieving tone.

"No," he chuckled. "Just… passing through."

"I almost died. You said the plastic was after you, but… I almost died. And y'know what?"

He gave her a long look, and she knew he was waiting for her to blame him. "That's the most fun I've ever had," she finally said, a grin spreading across her face.

The Doctor blinked at her. "You're insane, you know that?"

"What's wrong with that? Sane sounds pretty boring to me," she joked.

They walked in silence for another minute before she spoke again, this time sounding somewhat cautious. "But Doctor, I've got another question."

"Humans, always so many questions. Don't those tiny brains ever take a break?" he asked her. She rolled her eyes and continued.

"You said they want to invade… why? What do they get from us?"

The Doctor seemed to consider it for a minute. "They wanna overthrow the human race."

"That sounds… ominous," she replied, scrunching her nose in annoyance. "You're gonna stop it, yeah?"

"Yeah," he confirmed, grinning at her. After a quick moment's hesitation, he raised an eyebrow. "Wanna help me?"

That was basically the moment that Rose knew things would be changing.

"Tell me real quick, yeah? Who are you?"

The Doctor stopped walking and considered her, his smile fading into a look she'd seen often during her time on the TARDIS. He was remembering.

He paced back over to her with such a heavy look that Rose nearly glanced away, but she knew better. These moments were crucial.

"It's like when you're a kid. The first time that they tell you the world's turning, and you just can't quite believe because everything looks like it's standing still."

She looked at him, amazed by how human he sounded. She was surprised he even knew of that feeling.

"I can feel it," he gripped her hand tight, and she was prepared, mostly because she'd never truly stopped feeling it from that moment on the first time he'd done this. It was always there somewhere, in the back of her head, a reminder of how things started. "The turn of the earth. The ground beneath our feet spinning at a thousand miles an hour and the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me. Clinging to the skin of this tiny little world and if we let go… that's who I am. Now forget me, Rose Tyler."

And he released her hand, leaving her with a curious ache. This time, he left it at that and began walking away, back toward the TARDIS, her true home.

"Is that why you run?"

She didn't mean to say it, but she knew he couldn't leave her again. He stopped, mid stride, and turned back to her with an expression she couldn't quite understand.

"You ran like it's the most important part of your life. Doctor, you're saving my world, but you're still running," she was nearly whispering now, but she knew he could hear it. She knew she was pushing too hard, that she could easily spook him, but the words felt _strong_ , like something she had to say. "You'll only get dizzy if you keep running from it alone."

"So what?" He asked her carefully. "D'you want to come with?"

"I want… I want to find the plastic," she replied softly. "And then, maybe."

He schooled his expression quickly and soon was grinning. "Brilliant priorities, Rose Tyler!"

He reached for her hand and she offered it happily. And soon they were running again.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"…then reappears here. You wouldn't understand."

"Yeah? Sounds like you understand. Teach me," she offered. He turned back to her with a slight grin. She was everything unexpected all in one pink and yellow bundle. It was amazing.

"Some other time, yeah?" He offered. She nodded easily and moved on excitedly.

"So, the plastic. What do we need to find? How do we stop it?"

The Doctor grinned, lifting up a vial of blue liquid, the same color as the TARDIS. "Anti-plastic!"

"Anti-plastic," Rose repeated, somewhat unimpressed.

"Anti-plastic!" He laughed softly. "But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"

"Hold on, hide what?" She asked, knowing full well what he meant.

"The transmitter. The consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, yeah?"

"Yeah," Rose agreed, having already mentioned it to him.

"So, it needs a transmitter to boost the signal," he explained patiently.

"What's it look like?" She wondered, attempting to hide her amusement at how thick he could be.

"Like a transmitter," he supplied, being completely unhelpful. "Round and massive. Somewhere slap bang in the middle of London." He sighed and walked a few more paces from the TARDIS. "A huge metal circular structure. Like a dish, like a wheel."

Rose, not in the mood to wait, coughed, raising an amused eyebrow.

"What?"

"Doctor."

"What?"

"Doctor."

" _What_?"

"Doctor!" She chuckled, nodding at the sight in front of her.

"…oh."

"Yeh."

"Oh! Fantastic!"

And then they were off, running toward the action once again, her small hand in his.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It wasn't long before they'd slipped down the hatch and found themselves in a large room with red light glowing around a blob of plastic sitting in a pit. Rose noticed quickly that Mickey was missing and hoped with all she had that he hadn't been taken this time.

As the Doctor made his way down to the vat in which the consciousness was waiting, Rose positioned herself near the chains she knew she might need. She didn't want to risk changing too much, and she knew she could better help the Doctor from behind. With that in mind, she waited as he spoke to the consciousness.

"…might I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?"

The plastic in the pit moaned, waving to the right side as it replied.

"Don't give me that! It's an invasion, plain and simple! Don't talk about constitutional rights!"

It answered him again, this time swaying side to side as it got more agitated. Rose gripped the railing anxiously, watching for the mannequins she knew would come to grab the Doctor. If she could time it correctly, she could end it all before it got too dangerous.

"I am talking!" The Doctor yelled in a scolding tone. "This planet is just starting. These _stupid_ little people have only just learned how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you, on their behalf-,"

Rose cut him off then, as she grabbed onto the chain and swung down, knocking the mannequins into the vat of plastic. The Doctor caught her, surprised, before she could follow their lead.

"Wh- what was that?!"

"They were gonna attack you," she replied with a shrug and a grin.

"Brilliant, Rose Tyler," he laughed. "Mind you, you're mad, too."

"Doctor, I think there're more important things right now," she mentioned, nodding at the raging vat of plastic.

"Right," he agreed, turning back to them. "That was your last chance. I'm sorry, but I can't let you invade this planet."

"He gave you a choice," Rose spoke up. "He asked you, peacefully, to leave. Never doubt that this was your own fault."

The Doctor gave her an odd look before nodding and pulling out the anti-plastic. "I'm sorry."

And then he dropped it in, grabbed Rose's hand, and pulled her back to the TARDIS, flying them out of there.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Doctor set them down a few streets away from Rose's flat, and she stepped outside to call her mum while the old Time Lord checked his ship to make sure she was okay.

"Rose," Jackie answered. "What're you doing? You were supposed to be home to make dinner tonight."

"Sorry mum," Rose replied gently. "But I'm gonna be traveling for a bit – not sure how long."

"What? What're you talking about?" Jackie asked, sounding vaguely annoyed.

"I'll be back sometime," Rose promised. "Love you."

The Doctor watched the pink and yellow girl hang up her cellphone and turn back to him, grinning brightly. He returned the smile as she made her way back over to him.

"So," she said with a small chuckle. "We just saved the world from mannequins and breast implants."

"That we did, Rose Tyler."

"D'you do this a lot?" she wondered, giving him a small grin, her tongue tucked between her teeth.

"Yeah," he nodded. "What d'you think?"

"Think it's brilliant, honestly." She told him, thinking back on their adventures together. "Does this stuff happen often on earth?"

"No. Well… I say no, I mean not every day."

"So… are there alien planets that need saving, then?"

"Oh, all the time," he promised.

"Can I come?" she asked him, her grin growing as she saw him consider.

"I haven't even told you the best part," he said excitedly. She raised an eyebrow, prompting him to continue. "She travels in time, my TARDIS."

"Time?" Rose asked, faking surprise. She let herself turn thoughtful for a moment after he nodded. "What's TARDIS mean then?"

"Time And Relative Dimensions In Space," the Doctor answered, stroking the door of the TARDIS happily.

"Hmm," she hummed, her body tense with excitement.

"So?" the Doctor asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course," she laughed, nodding.

And so, the pair entered the TARDIS again and flew off into the time vortex to begin their adventures.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	3. The End of the World

**Hey! So, the Face of Boe is changing just a little to fit my needs, but not much. Don't worry, I just needed him to be helpful in this situation... and possibly a few others.**

 **Enjoy, and remember to review!**

 **Chapter Two - The End Of The World**

"So, Rose Tyler, you tell me. Where do you wanna go?"

Rose grinned brightly at him, running her thumbs across the console as she stared at the Doctor. Her first Doctor. All big ears and leather and the smell of time.

"Backwards or forwards in time. It's your choice. What's it gonna be?"

"Forwards," she said firmly, giving him her tongue between teeth grin that he would come to love so much. She watched as he pressed a few buttons before looking back up at her.

"How far?"

"How far can you take me?"

"Ohh, I can go farther than you'd even want to go," he warned her in a dark voice.

"Alright. One hundred years," she suggested with a light shrug.

The Doctor sped around the console and flipped a few switches, and the TARDIS flew into the time vortex, taking them a hundred years into the future.

"There you go, step outside those doors. It's the twenty second century," the Time Lord told her with a smirk. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Mm," she hummed.

"That's a bit boring though. Still wanna go farther?"

"Fine by me," she shook her head happily as he ran around the console once more before letting them touch down ten thousand years in her future.

"Step outside, it's the year twelve thousand and five. The New Roman Empire."

Rose laughed to cover her amused snort. "You think you're so impressive."

"I am so impressive!"

"Like I said," she grinned. "But you _wish_."

"Right then, you asked for it. I know exactly where to go." He flew the ship off in time with a determination to impress her, and maybe let her impress him again, and she watched him happily.

When the TARDIS landed, Rose heard a specific singing in her head that reminded her of how she got back there.

" _My Wolf, remember that you cannot save everyone. Not all of them."_

"Rose?" The Doctor asked, popping in front of her. She shook her head, plastering on a smile as Time filled her head again.

"What's out there?" She asked, forcing her cheery voice back. The Doctor gave her a long look but moved on, likely assuming it was culture shock or something of the sort. He nodded at the door and she grinned. This was always her favorite part, seeing what's out there and the few moments of exploration before the running began.

She opened the door and ignored the tight feeling in her chest when she saw where they were. She made a checklist of who she had to save, but stopped abruptly when she felt the timelines tighten around them, a reminder from the TARDIS not to expect the impossible.

Taking a deep breath, she looked around in fake wonder, though she didn't have to fake it when she saw the earth again.

Two years with the Doctor and tons of visits and she'd still never get used to it.

"You lot. You spend all your time thinking about dying. Like you're gonna get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible. That maybe you survive. This is the year five point five slash apple slash twenty six, five billion years in your future. And this is the day… hold on…"

He paused as a solar flare rushed over the earth, and Rose felt her breath hitch in her chest.

"This is the day the sun expands," he glanced over at her and she schooled her expression into one of wonder. "Welcome to the end of the world."

"Doctor," Rose said slowly. "what about the people? The humans? Are we just up here watching as they die?"

"No!" He assured her quickly. "No, they've scattered, all of you little humans, all across the universe. Finding new homes and new places to thrive."

"Are you sure?" Rose whispered to herself. The Doctor, with his superior Time Lord hearing, frowned at her.

"What do you mean?"

"I- I just mean, we can barely manage to live together on earth. Racism and hatred and destruction are so common. How can you be sure that we're thriving and not just some sort of parasite? Are we peaceful out there? Do we destroy people, worlds? Doctor, are you sure the human race spread across the universe is… safe?"

The Doctor stared at her. That little human, the nineteen year old girl had figured out in two, maybe three sentences everything he wasn't saying?

"Yeah, well… it's not as bad as you assume. Try not to worry about the rest of the universe for now, eh?"

Rose just shrugged, smiled at him, and glanced at the door behind them. "So, what's behind that?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"So when it says guests, does that mean people?" Rose asked casually.

"Depends what you mean by people," the Doctor answered her, rounding a corner. Rose followed and grabbed his arm, grinning.

"Aliens?"

"Aliens."

"What're they doing here, watching the earth die?" She asked him with a small frown. He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Fun."

"They did this once on newsround extra. The sun expanded. That takes thousands of years… millions."

"Millions," the Doctor confirmed. "The planets now the property of the national trust. They've been keeping it preserved." He pointed down at the satellites. "See down there? Gravity satellites, holding back the sun."

"It looks the same. Continents are supposed to shift, Doctor."

"They did," the Doctor rolled his eyes. "And the Trust shifted them back. That's the 'Classic Earth.' But, now the money's run out, nature takes over."

"How long's it got?"

"Bout half an hour. Then the planet gets roasted."

Rose rolled her eyes. "So, the people are all gone. We're here to… what? Sight see?"

"Yep!"

"Who the hell are you?!" A voice called. The pair spun around and Rose's eye's fell on the Steward. She wanted to save him, but she could see his timeline was almost over and how permanent it looked. Her heart tightened at the reminder that even though she had a second chance, not everyone did.

"Oh, that's nice, thanks," the Doctor said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"But how did you get in?" the blue man demanded, looking at them with wide eyes. "This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests are disembarked. They're on their way any second!"

"Calm down! That's me, I'm a guest. Look!" The Doctor promised, holding out his psychic paper for the man. "I've got an invitation."

When the Doctor looked down at his paper, he was surprised to see that there actually _was_ an invitation from the Face of Boe, but that it was for Rose and not him.

"Look, there, you see, it's fine, you see. I'm her plus one."

" _My_ plus one?" Rose hissed into his ear in confusion.

"Is that alright?" The Doctor asked the Steward, who looked decently embarrassed.

"Well. Obviously. Apologies… etc. If you're on board, we'd better start… enjoy."

Once the man had walked away, the Doctor rounded on Rose. "This paper's slightly psychic, it says whatever I need it to say. But it already had something on it."

He handed the paper to Rose and saw her genuine surprise at the contents.

"You know him?" The Time Lord asked, even as she shook her head.

"The _Face_ of Boe?"

"Yep," the Doctor said with a grin. "He's a giant face in a jar. I expect he'll be here – you can ask him why he invited you."

"We have in attendance Rose Tyler and the Doctor. Thank you. All staff to their positions."

Rose watched the staff closely for a second before listening again.

"…representing the forest of Cheen, we have trees! Namely, Jabe, Newt, and Hopper. There will be an exchange of gifts, representing peace. If we can keep the room circulating, thank you."

Rose zoned out as the Steward introduced everyone, focusing on Jabe. She was having a hard time telling if the tree would be able to live through the next half hour.

It wasn't until the doors opened for the appearance of the repeated meme that Rose was able to snap out of her confused thoughts. Her gut twisted in anger at the sight and felt a little dizzy.

The Doctor looked down at the little pink and yellow human in front of him and settled a hand on her shoulder. She'd gotten a little pale at the sight of the repeated meme, which was odd since they were, to her, the least odd looking thing in the room.

As Jabe approached, Rose plucked a few hairs from her head and moved a little farther in front of the Doctor.

"The gift of peace," Jabe said with a smile. "I bring you a cutting of my grandfather."

Rose took the small plant from the tree woman, handed it to the Doctor, and gave her a small smile.

"And I bring you a piece of myself," she told the woman, passing along the hairs. The woman looked touched and gave her a smile, promising to visit later as she moved along.

The Doctor gave her an appreciative look. "Quick thinking. I would've just given her breath from my lungs."

"That sounds a little… personal," Rose commented casually. "Considering she's a tree."

"Oh," the Doctor blinked. "Uh, you're right."

"The sponsor of the main event, please welcome, the Face of Boe!"

Rose glanced over at the head and gasped at the sight of his timelines.

 _All of it was fixed._

It wasn't until the little blue alien spat in her face that Rose focused on the people in front of her again.

Rose went through the motions, pulling out two pieces of hair every time someone came by. Once Cassandra was in the room, she tried her best to ignore her by doing some deep breathing, but the bitchy trampoline's obnoxious, self-obsessed voice cut through her attempts at ignoring her.

"-thin and dainty. I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturize me, moisturize me!"

Rose swore she felt her eye twitch.

"Truly, I am the last human."

The Doctor watched as Rose, her hand clenched in a fist behind her back, quietly slipped around to see the back of the flap of skin. He was amazed at the girl's reactions so far. She was wise and calm and yet still fun to be around, and she was so smart. Not as smart as him, mind, but very few people were, so that was okay.

"-blew fire from its nostrils!" The Doctor raised an eyebrow as she paused. "Or was that my third husband? Oh, who knows?"

He watched as they rolled in a jukebox and called it an MP3 player and turned on Tainted Love, tuning it all out.

There was something wrong in this room, something wrong with the timelines, like they were preparing to be twisted. The thing was, it was hidden from him.

Pushing away the frustration, he made his way over to Rose to check on her.

"How're you doing?" he wondered as she glanced around the room, looking remarkably calm.

"Fine, I guess."

"Your first time seeing aliens and you don't even feel overwhelmed?" He asked, unbelieving.

"Well, I guess it's like… they're just people, but they look different. Maybe they spit in my face or give me a piece of their grandpa, but they're still people, ya know?"

The Doctor stared at her, his mouth open slightly. Before he could think of a reply, she spotted the Face of Boe alone in the corner and walked off, leaving him to ponder her words.

When Rose reached him, she felt a wave of familiarity wash over her. It was barely a moment before she heard him in her mind, his words drowning out everything else.

" _Rose Tyler, how I've missed your face._ "

Her eyes widened as she recognized the voice. How could she not? He was her best friend, aside from the Doctor, and one of the two people she loved and trusted most in the universe – in any universe.

"Jack," she whispered, kneeling down next to the tank. "My Jack."

" _Hey there, Rosie,"_ he said, offering her a faint grin, and she wondered silently how she hadn't recognized him in 1942. _"Knew I'd be seeing you again soon."_

" _How?"_ she asked, whispering back to his mind after a moment of trying to work out if it was possible.

" _Oh, I'm just that good,"_ her friend teased her, and she rolled her eyes. He hadn't changed at all, then.

" _I've missed you,"_ she promised, her heart swelling at the love she could feel coming from him.

" _I know,"_ he whispered in her mind, a sigh easily heard, though she wasn't sure which one of them had let it out. _"I'm not gonna tell you it'll be easy, Rosie, but I will promise that it'll be worth it."_

" _Will… did I tell you everything, then?"_ she asked him hesitantly, knowing he couldn't tell her very much, if anything at all.

" _You told me what you needed to and when you needed to,"_ he allowed, being as vague as possible. She scowled at him. _"C'mon, Rosie, you know I can't tell you anything more."_

" _I know. I just don't like it,"_ she promised him.

" _You're gonna be okay, Rosie,"_ he assured her, mentally sending her love. She relaxed slightly as the pure emotion enveloped her and felt as if his words might be true. _"I'll see you soon, right?"_

" _Yeah,"_ she nodded.

" _And we'll always have the barrage balloon, yeah?"_

Rose grinned, her tongue slipping between her teeth as she remembered their dance, the way he held her close as she collected herself.

" _We'll always have London, 1942,"_ she agreed before taking a deep breath. She sent her own wave of affection toward her old friend and stood.

" _See you, Rosie."_

" _See you, Jack."_

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It was odd. She'd greeted him out loud, and he'd seen a hint of recognition and shock cross her face as she sat in front of the Face. He knew Boe spoke only telepathically, and was interested to see the range of emotions running rampant across his young companion's face. The most intense one he saw was love, a sort of love he'd not witnessed in a long time.

Her face had changed and she'd scowled at him after a brief moment of an all consuming sadness, and he wondered silently what the Face of Boe had said to make her so annoyed.

And then that love had returned, the clear affection visible to anyone looking at them. He wondered again how she could possibly know him. She grinned, her tongue in between her teeth as she looked fondly at the large head.

It was only another moment before she stood shakily and made her way quickly from the room. He considered following her but instead paced over to the Face of Boe, who looked at him expectantly.

" _Hello, Doctor."_

" _Boe,"_ the Doctor bowed his head respectfully, noting the slightly amused noise Boe made in his mind. _"You know my friend."_

" _Oh, yes. We know each other."_

" _How?"_

" _Now that, Doctor, would be telling,"_ if a face could shrug, the Doctor swore he would've.

" _But she's from the twenty first century,"_ the Doctor argued, shaking his head. _"And earth. It's not possible."_

" _You'll find, with Rosie, 'impossible' is not a word she knows the meaning of,"_ the face promised him, that same amusement loud and clear. _"Doctor, I warn you, don't worry about it for now. All will become clear with time."_

" _They say you've lived for millions of years – billions."_

" _Such an impertinent question, Doctor,"_ Boe chuckled. _"Now, go. Knowing our Rose, she has already found herself in some trouble."_

The Doctor found he couldn't argue with the Face of Boe, because it seemed the old being knew her better already, and the Time Lord once again wondered how they knew each other.

" _Before I go, tell me – have you always been a head in a jar?"_

" _I suppose I can afford to tell you. No, I used to be just as human as Rosie."_

" _So you're from her past?"_ The Doctor couldn't help it, he just had to know how it could be possible, considering the girl had, two days ago, been a normal shop girl living on the estate.

To his irritation, Boe only let a wave of amusement pass through the mental link.

" _Her future?"_ That, at least, made a bit of sense. If Rose spent enough time travelling with him, anything could be possible.

But Boe gave the mental equivalence of a shrug.

" _Both?! Neither?!"_

" _Patience, Doctor. Now, as I said, she's likely to have found herself in some trouble. I suggest you run."_

And so, admitting to himself that the old face probably had a few years on him in patience, the Doctor made his way out of the room after humming an annoyed goodbye to find his new companion.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Rose? Are you in there?"

Rose started as she heard him calling her and unlocking the door and prepared herself. Her conversation with Jack – he was a _head_ now! – had thrown her off a bit and she'd needed a minute to clear her head, though she could hear him in the back of her mind, humming. It was oddly calming, like a song sung before bed by your mother.

"There you are," he said as he sat across from her, looking oddly relieved. She raised an eyebrow. "What d'you think, then?"

She paused to consider the question, wanting to be honest this time.

"It's amazing. All these people, they all interact and observe, and the different cultures, different languages and different lives, they ignore that because they're looking forward to one event together – watching the earth burn, because the human race has moved on, grown to bigger things, hopefully even better things. It's… it's amazing, Doctor." She stood and moved to sit next to him, looking in his eyes. "I'm so glad I can see this."

"Should've taken you to the deep south," the Doctor joked, looking at her in surprise.

"Where're you from?" she asked, her eyes wide and curious. He hesitated, but he could practically see her hunger to know more, and he couldn't resist.

"It was called Gallifrey," he whispered.

She let herself give a small smile and turned the subject slightly, allowing him to refocus and recover from the admission. "They all speak English."

"No, you just hear English. It's a gift of the TARDIS," he explained, leaning back against the ground as he spoke, her eyes watching him silently and intently. "Telepathic field, gets inside your brain, translates."

"Your TARDIS… is it alive?" She asked him, shocking him into silence. Usually he had to explain it to his companions, and then explain again and again when they didn't believe him.

"Yes," he said simply. "How'd you know?"

"Just… felt something, I dunno, in the back of my head. Like a singing."

"That's… impossible," he said. Rose snorted.

"I hate that word."

The Doctor's lips twitched slightly.

" _You'll find, with Rosie, 'impossible' is not a word she knows the meaning of."_

"You know the Face of Boe," he said, walking down toward the glass separating them from the earth and the suns.

"What makes you say that?" She asked lightly, though he could hear her closing herself off ever so slightly.

"You spoke to him, and it was written across your face. You love him."

"He's a face," she said, and he turned back to look at her.

"Rose, who is he?"

"I… how should I know? We've only just met, and he's a head."

"Just tell me, who is he? How do you know him?"

"Doctor, I-,"

"Who are you to know him? How?"

"Doctor, stop! How could I know him? I'm just a shop girl."

Fair point, but he knew what he'd seen.

"Rose, just tell me!"

"I don't know!" She yelled, giving him an uncomfortable glare. He let out a sigh – which was definitely not a huff, because he was nine hundred years old and Time Lords didn't pout – and turned back toward the beautiful sight in front of him.

It was about a full minute later when he felt her stand next to him, staring out at the earth as well.

"Guess it's like my mate Shireen says," she started with a sigh. "Don't argue with the designated driver." She pulled her pink cell phone out of her pocket and flipped it open. "Can't exactly call for a taxi. No signal. We're out of range – just a bit."

He snorted. "Tell you what," he said, plucking the phone from her fingers. "With a bit of jiggery pokery…"

"Is that a technical term, jiggery pokery?"

"Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery, what about you?"

"Nah," she said, grinning as she shook her head. "I failed halabaloo."

"Oh, well," he sighed as he placed the new battery in her phone and closed it up, handing it back over to her. "Here you go."

Rose stared at it in surprised and called her mum as the Doctor replayed the conversation he'd just had with her, noting her reluctance to explain how she knew Boe and promising to come back to it once they were in the TARDIS again.

"-fine. On top of the world," she assured her mother, and the old Time Lord chuckled at her bad joke as she ended the call.

"Think that's amazing, you oughta see the bill," he joked, and she gave him her teeth in tongue grin, which he was quickly coming to love.

A moment later, the station they were in shook abruptly, as if an engine had been turned off.

"Well, that's not supposed to happen," he said with an excited grin. Rose's eyes lit up and they both glanced at the door, ready to run head first into whatever adventure awaited them.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"That wasn't a gravity pocket, I know gravity pockets, and it was not that. What d'you think, Jabe?" he asked turning to the tree woman. "I listened to the engines – they picked up about thirty hertz. That tells you what?"

She shook her head slightly. "It's the sound of metal, it doesn't make any sense to me."

The Doctor thought for a moment. "Where's the engine room?"

"Dunno," she shrugged. "But the maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite, I could show you."

He did notice how she was mostly looking to Rose for permission and had no doubt it was because of the invite and the hair the pink and yellow human had given her.

"That would be great, thank you, Jabe," Rose replied with a kind smile.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose easily zoned out the conversation between the tree woman and her Doctor as she focused more deeply on Jabe's timeline and what the Doctor had told her of how she'd died. It was a blur – it had been years ago, after all, and she couldn't possibly remember everything. She was only mostly human, after all.

She'd found quickly that Jabe's timeline, while tight and uncomfortable, was not fixed, but she knew she would have to do something drastic and, quite frankly, stupid things to save the woman. But that was alright – she'd been wise and kind and deserved another chance. She felt the TARDIS hum unhappily at her, but she didn't actually say anything, so Rose assumed she would live but be a little worse for wear.

"-only enjoys trouble when there's nothing left."

Uh oh.

"I scanned you earlier-,"

"Excuse me, Jabe?" Rose interrupted, her voice kind but firm. "We might wanna focus on the situation at hand, yeah? Because he's trying to focus on whatever he's doing, and I've got a nasty feeling that whatever is happening here, it's not gonna be healthy for us if we don't stop it quick."

The Doctor shot her a thankful look and she pretended she hadn't seen the hot tears gathering in his eyes – it had been too recent for this to happen, and she'd be damned if she let him hurt for a second longer than necessary while she was by his side.

He turned back to the panel and quickly finished sonicking it and the door to his left, on the other side of Rose, popped open.

"It is me," he asked as they entered the large room, glancing at the intimidating fans spinning. "or is it a bit nippy?"

"Definitely nippy," Rose agreed, zipping her jacket up tight and glancing around.

"Fair due, though, it's a _great_ bit of air conditioning," the Doctor reasoned, taking a short step closer to the spinning blades that created the fan. "Sort of nice and old fashioned. Bet they'd call it retro."

He waved his sonic at a panel on the wall for a quick moment. "Gotcha." He slipped the panel open and Rose screeched as the spidery robot scurried out and up the wall beside her. Jabe pulled it down quickly as Rose examined the controls, quickly beginning to understand exactly how and why Jabe had died.

She'd become a rather studious person, back in Pete's world, and had strived to learn anything she possibly could, her time at Torchwood a great help to that endeavor, since it meant she continued to run into aliens and alien tech on a regular basis.

So, she could easily understand how Jabe had sacrificed herself so the Doctor could finish his work and save them all, and she wished more than anything that she could work on the problem right at that moment instead of watching the Doctor, helpless, as he tried to understand the situation to a more complete level.

"Earth death in ten minutes," a cool, computerized voice called, reminding them all of the sun, ready to expand and destroy.

"The temperature's about to rocket," the Doctor exclaimed.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Sun filter, rising. Sun filter, rising."

"Was the Steward in there?!" Jabe wondered in horror, and Rose couldn't help but nod in mute desperation. The TARDIS was right – he had to die, but she only wished she'd at least tried to save him. Last time, she'd been knocked out by the Repeating Meme when it had happened, but this time, she'd been awake and well, and with her Doctor when she could've been saving lives.

Taking in a shaky breath, Rose tried to calm herself and focus on what was happening in the moment rather than what could've been.

They made their way back to the main room to warn the other guests, and Rose felt her hatred for Cassandra bubble in her gut as the flap of bitchy skin tried to blame the Face of Boe – her Jack – for her own problem.

"Listen here, you disgusting… pimple on humanity, the Face of Boe is ancient and kind and he is no more a cold blooded murder than Toxic is an earth classic!"

The Doctor blinked at his enraged companion and stepped in, placing his hand on her back to calm her. "Easy way of finding out," he promised, holding up one of the spidery robots. "Someone brought their little pet on board. Let's send him back to Master."

Rose cringed at the use of the word, and knew the Doctor had as well, but watched anyway as the little robot placed itself momentarily in front of Cassandra before scurrying over to the repeated meme.

"The repeated meme."

"That's all very well and pretty obvious, but if you stop and think about it…" he grabbed the Repeating Meme's hand and ripped it off as it moved to attack him. "A Repeating Meme is just an idea, and that's all they are," the Time Lord ripped a cable from the detached arm, watching in satisfaction as the group fell to the ground. "An idea."

Rose gave him a cheeky grin and he couldn't help but feel glad he'd decided to show off.

"Remote control droids. Nice little cover for the real troublemaker. Go on, Jimbo," he prompted, prodding the beautiful robot with his foot. "Go home."

When the cute little guy made his way back to Cassandra, the "Last Human" gasped in annoyance.

"I bet you were the school swotter that never got kissed," she said, and he shrugged. He couldn't really deny that. Didn't matter, though. "At arms!"

He resisted the urge to snort as her sidekicks raised the spray and pointed it at him. "What're you gonna do? Moisturize me?"

"With acid," she snarled. "Oh, you're too late, anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. And oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax free, past every code wall… I'm not just a pretty face."

The Doctor's eyebrows shot up. "Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside it? How stupid's that?"

"Yeah but, d'you really think she'd be that stupid?" Rose wondered aloud, gaining his attention. "She's gotten this far, I doubt she'd do all that and not plan a way out, yeah?"

"The annoying pink one is correct," Cassandra acknowledged. "I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation, with myself as one of the victims. The compensation… would've been enormous."

"It's the year five billion and it's still about money," Rose snorted bitterly. "Yeah, that sounds like the human race."

"Do you think it's cheap, looking like this?" Cassandra snapped, her eyes trained steadily on the young shop girl. "You could use a little flattening yourself, you know."

"Yeah right," Rose snorted. "I'd rather die."

The Doctor's hearts squeezed a bit. He always hated when his companions joked about death.

"I am the last human," Cassandra hissed. "Not you."

"Arrest her," a little blue alien demanded. "Infidel."

"Oh, shut it, pixie!" Cassandra glared at the poor guy. "I've still got my final option."

"Earth death in three minutes," the computerized voice from earlier reminded them.

"And here it comes! You're just as useful dead, all of you."

Rose stopped listening at this point and closed her eyes, focusing on Boe.

" _You should go – I'm sure you've still got a teleport, somewhere."_

" _It's illegal here,"_ Jack reminded her in an amused tone. Rose snorted.

" _And?"_

" _Ah, you know me too well. I dunno, Rosie. I don't like leaving you here alone."_

" _I'll be fine,"_ she assured him quickly. _"I know how to survive, and I've done this part before."_

" _I'll be watching, Rose. Be safe, alright?"_

" _Never."_

When she opened her eyes again, the entire place was shaking about and the Doctor had his hand on her shoulder now, looking at her in worry. "Rose, c'mon, we gotta hurry!"

"Sorry!" She gave him a sheepish smile. "Coming."

They raced their way back to the maintenance duct and found their way back to the large fans, and Rose felt the timelines give a painful squeeze, reminding her how firm and careful she had to be if she wanted Jabe to survive.

The Doctor gave a despondent groan. "And guess where the switch is."

"Heat levels, rising. Heat levels, rising."

At that, the Time Lord sped over to the lever and pushed it down, and Rose watched nervously as the fans slowed, but only for a moment. Soon, it snapped back up and the fans sped up again, trying to accommodate for the critical heat levels.

Rose rushed over, pulling the lever down and waited as the fans slowed again. The Doctor turned abruptly, his eyes snapping to hers and widening.

"You can't," he told her harshly. "The heat's gonna vent through this place!"

"I know," Rose grinned.

"Rose, you're human, only human! You'll die."

"Then you'd better get to it," she demanded, watching as he tried to come up with an argument. She frowned deeply. "Seriously, Doctor, go. It's either me or all of us."

After another moment of hesitation, the Doctor spun on his heel and began making his way over to the switch. It wasn't until he'd passed the second fan that Rose felt Jabe's hand on hers and realized she was shaking. She could feel the skin on her hands burning harshly as the heat rose and hissed in pain.

When she felt Jabe begin to burn behind her, she let out a scream as she felt her hand sizzling.

That was when she disappeared from sight, leaving the Doctor alone to fix the problem.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The sound had stopped his hearts, he was sure of it. But he didn't have time to dwell. The fans were at full speed again and he had no way across.

So, he was forced to use his admittedly dull time senses to get to the other side of the spinning blades.

It hadn't been as hard as he'd expected, and he'd even managed to raise the shields again in less than four seconds, something which he was exceedingly grateful for.

But, he was still too late.

Rose and Jabe were both gone, likely incinerated by the heat.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

" _Most jeopardy friendly person I've ever met,"_ Boe huffed in her mind. Rose felt her lips twitch as she looked around, finding herself on some sort of spaceship, Boe in the corner.

"Jack!" Rose exclaimed. " _Thank you._ "

" _By barrage balloon or expanding sun, Rose Tyler."_

And with that, the two women were sent back to the now safe space station.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Doctor was not a happy man. Rose could see that the moment they got back. The Oncoming Storm was raging in his eyes and she knew he thought he'd lost his new companion and a brave friend.

He was ranting at Cassandra and she had to pause for a second. Every few words, she heard him swear in a language that she had long ago recognized as Gallifreyan. Taking a deep breath, the pink and yellow human stepped up, placing a hand on the Time Lord's shoulder.

"Doctor."

The man whipped around, and she felt the air abruptly leave her lungs. She'd never seen that look pointed at her, even on accident before.

It only took him a moment to calm down enough to recognize her.

"Rose?"

"Hey," she whispered, giving him a gentle smile. "And Jabe. We're alright."

"But… how?"

"Face of Boe," she shrugged. "Apparently, he's got his own illegal teleport."

"You're okay- you're alive."

"Yeah. I kinda like it that way," she gave him a small, reassuring smile, and he gave her a grin back and turned to Cassandra.

"So! My friends are alive. We're all here, except the Steward. Your plan failed."

"Uh- you passed my little test! Bravo. This makes you eligible to join the… um… human club."

"Shut up," Rose hissed, rolling her eyes. "You murdered the Steward and you're no more human than him," she nodded at the Doctor. "You had the intent of murdering a lot of people here."

"Depends on your definition of people," the flab shot back. "And that's enough to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries."

Rose felt her eye twitch.

"Take me to court, then, Rose Tyler. Watch me smile and cry and flutter-,"

"And creak?" The Doctor asked, tilting his head.

"And what?"

"Creak," the Doctor repeated, looking like he wanted to laugh. "You're creaking."

"What?" She gasped in what Rose imagined was pain and blinked harshly. "I'm drying out! Oh, sweet heavens! Moisturize me! Moisturize me!"

She kept screaming as Rose pushed forward, looking around for anything to help her.

"Help her, Doctor," she asked, gazing up into the harsh blue eyes.

"Everything has its time and everything dies," he replied, not looking down at her. She frowned and stepped in front of him.

"But this is… not right. We're better than her, Doctor. Help her."

The Time Lord gazed down at her curiously before jumping into action, using a combination of his sonic and a spare cup of water to preserve her.

When he was done, he put a note on her flap and used the teleportation device she'd set up and his sonic to send her to Stormcage in hopes they'd keep her there on his word.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It wasn't long before Rose and her Doctor managed to slip out – after muttering a soft goodbye to Jabe, of course – and back into the TARDIS.

Rose pulled off her sweater and dropped it on the jump seat before leaning against the railing. "It was beautiful."

"Rose… you almost died," the Doctor reminded her.

"Yeah, but when I was with Boe, I managed to catch a glimpse of Earth burning. It was beautiful. It looked like magic but… so much more."

They stood in silence for a few minutes before he quietly ran around the console, taking them back to earth.

They stepped out of the TARDIS and Rose took a look around and immediately knew what was happening.

After a long moment, the Doctor spoke. "Gallifrey's gone. It's dead. It burned, like the earth."

And that's when she understood.

He took her there because he wanted- no, he _needed_ someone with him, someone who understood the pain of losing their home.

She grabbed his hand, waiting for him to continue.

"It's just rocks and dust. Before its time."

Rose hesitated. "What happened?"

"There was a war," he replied quietly. "And we lost."

"What… what about your people?"

"I'm a Time Lord," he told her. "I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone – I'm the only survivor. I like travelling on my own because there's no one else."

Rose let a small smile slip. "There's me."

He considered her for a moment. "You've seen how dangerous it is, and the Face of Boe won't always be there to save you. Do you want to go home?"

"No," she laughed. "Not sure I could after seeing that. Beans and toast might not cut it anymore."

"Okay!"

"Okay- hey, do you smell chips?"

"Yeah," he laughed. "Yeah, I do."

So she grabbed his hand and pulled him down the street toward the smell of the chips.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	4. The Unquiet Dead

**Chapter Three - The Unquiet Dead**

"Hold that one down!" the Doctor nodded at a switch as he dashed around the TARDIS, Rose shaking her head in exasperation.

"I'm holding _this_ one down," she responded, gesturing as best as she could to the pump she was pushing down. She stared across the console and wondered if her nineteen year old body could grab the one he wanted her to and decided that it probably could if she tried - and then made a mental note to start training her body back to the way it was in Pete's World.

"Well hold them both down!" the Doctor replied with a grin, and she did as he said, stretching around to grab the switch for him.

"You're sure this is gonna work?"

"Oi, I promised you a time machine and that's what you're getting," the Doctor answered indignantly. He looked up and saw her holding both down and nodded in satisfaction. "Now, you've seen the future, let's have a look at the past… 1860, how does 1860 sound?"

Rose's smile was a little tighter but didn't falter as she nodded in what she hoped looked like excitement. "That sounds fantastic," she only vaguely realised she had used his favorite word in reply.

"Hold on," the Doctor said, shifting to the left and pulling a lever down. "Here we go!" The TARDIS started rocking a bit harder, and Rose considered grabbing the console but decided against it, remembering the fall as one of the best parts of this trip in the TARDIS.

The pair landed roughly on the floor as the TARDIS found them in Cardiff, and the Doctor glanced over at her to gauge her reaction. A wide smile appeared on her face as she broke out in laughter, the Doctor joining her after a moment. She closed her eyes, listening to the Doctor's laugh and the TARDIS's song, thinking for just a moment on how much she'd missed them. The TARDIS replied with a happy trill and she opened her eyes to see the Doctor standing already, and grabbed his offered hand to stand up.

"You alright?"

"Yeah," Rose nodded, still grinning brightly. "Nothing broken. So, where are we?"

"I did it!" The Doctor exclaimed, all too excited for someone that claimed he piloted his ship well. "Give the man a medal. Earth, Naples, December, 24th, 1860."

"It's Christmas!" Rose laughed happily, the Doctor nodding at her. He waved at the door broadly.

"All yours."

Rose paused, remembering what she said last time and bit her lip, looking at him seriously. "It's Christmas, 1860. It happens once, then it's gone, it's done, forever… except for you. You can go back and see days that are gone and passed us by a hundred thousand sunsets ago." She smiled softly at him, some unnamed emotion passing across her face. "No wonder you never hold still."

The Doctor returned the smile, wondering why she was so… curious. "Not a bad life?"

"Not at all," she answered seriously, though she was grinning, her tongue tucked between her teeth. He found he definitely loved that grin on her. "Better with two," she added, and that was just as serious as the other statement.

Just as the Doctor realized he was staring and felt unsure of what to say, she gave his arm a pat and ran toward the door. "Come on!"

"Where do you think you're going?"

"1860!"

The Doctor shook his head. "Go out there, dressed like that, you'll start a riot, Barbarella," he sighed, pointing toward the hall. "There's a wardrobe through there. First left, second right, third door on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left. Hurry up!"

Rose shook her head, laughing, as she rushed off down the hall, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Which were still on his new pink and yellow companion.

He just didn't understand her. She was so much more mature and well adjusted than anyone in her time should be. Not to mention the Face of Boe, who she was obviously very close to. And she knew him - there was so much sadness and love there - but wouldn't explain, and if the Doctor didn't like one thing, he didn't like not knowing things.

One other question was her eyes - those curious eyes that seemed to flare with emotion. They definitely did not look human, but the discreet scan he took of her told him that she was.

And it's not like he made a habit of looking at his companion's timelines but hers were… blinding. They were so bright and intricate that everytime he looked at her, he had to make a concentrated effort not to look at them and to close off his time senses.

And that alone was terrifying.

If the Time Lords were still there, there was no doubt she would be removed from her timeline and observed her entire life.

Which, he admits somewhere in the very back of his mind, is a little bit of why he invited her. She was an enigma and he wanted to watch her and do what his people couldn't anymore.

But that wasn't the only reason. He wasn't sure what it was but she was so different, and it was almost like she understood him, as impossible as that was. But he longed for that, even if he didn't want to admit it, so the selfish Time Lord had invited her on board.

With a sigh, the Doctor shook away his thoughts and went to find his room - he should at least change his jumper. He'd been wearing the same one for the last two adventures, after all.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose wandered down the halls, letting the TARDIS guide her way. Her mind felt like it was simultaneously overloading and completely blank. So far, she'd done pretty good, she thought, but the hard parts hadn't even begun. The Doctor had been right - she wouldn't always have Jack, or Boe, to help her. And she'd have to do this alone, make decisions and choose whose life was worth more.

And one thing she knew about her upcoming adventure, as much as she hated it, was that she couldn't save Gwyneth. The girl had died to open the rift, and because the rift had been opened, Blon - the Slitheen - had tried to use it to leave earth and caused the heart of the TARDIS to be opened, which had given her the idea of how to save the Doctor on the Game Station.

It was all connected, and fixed, and she hated it with everything she had.

She was frowning as she entered the wardrobe room and patted the walls of the TARDIS in thanks - the first time around she'd wandered until the TARDIS took pity on her and flashed lights to help her find the room.

She paced straight to the spot where she'd found her beautiful dress the last time - which had conveniently been moved to the front of the extremely large room - and ran her hands across the rack of vintage dresses, though she knew they were fitted with 32nd century technology for comfort, a fact she was grateful for as she stared at the corsets on the dresses.

As she reached for the same dress she'd worn last time, she heard footsteps approaching and frowned, turning around, expecting the Doctor. She blinked in confusion as her eyes fell on a woman with very… large hair. Her more defensive thoughts were soothed by the TARDIS's song, but she didn't relax, still looking at the woman suspiciously.

"How did you get here?" Rose asked frowning at her.

"Quick temporal displacement. It'll only last a few minutes in the TARDIS, but it works," the woman replied, waving at her arm, which held a vortex manipulator that was glowing a soft gold.

"Who are you?" Rose asked after hesitating, her eyes still on the golden light flowing gently off of the device on her arm.

The woman hesitated before answering. "River Song," was the quiet answer, the woman obviously looking at her for recognition. Rose frowned, remembering what the Doctor who had given her the lottery money had said - _I'm starting to sound like River_. "Don't pick the same dress," she said, nodding at the black and red one that she'd worn the last time. "Try and wow him again, but with who you are now. Always do that."

Rose considered her words and nodded a little. It was good advice, and she couldn't help but feel like this woman was familiar, though she knew for a fact she'd never met her before. "Do I know you?"

"No."

She hesitated. "Will I know you?"

River Song smiled a sad, conspiratorial smile. "Spoilers."

With a slightly frustrated sigh, Rose flicked through the dresses. She knew she couldn't take too long or the Doctor would come looking for her eventually - she'd learned that the hard way one time when he'd decided she'd gotten lost in the nearly infinite room and come to help her, only to find her in her bra and underwear, applying her makeup carefully for their next adventure. It had been embarrassing for both of them. "Why are you here?"

River moved closer, shifting through the dresses as well, obviously looking for something in particular. "You already know that you can't save that poor girl," she said quietly, regret in her voice. "But that doesn't meant that everyone has to die," she finished, her words soft but infinitely important.

It was a gentle reminder, and something that should've been obvious, but Rose froze at the words and looked up. Because the woman was right - she'd been so focused on who she still had to lose that she didn't even think about the fact that she could save Sneed, as awful of a man as he was.

But there was a deeper message there, too, she realized, and one not just for this adventure, but for all of them.

She couldn't get distracted by the grief and the losses she knew were coming, as much as she wanted to. She needed to focus on what she could change, on who she could save. The lives lost had already been mourned and the regret would always be there, but she had a chance to do something amazing, and save people that hadn't needed to die the first time around.

Rose nodded slowly as she turned to look directly at the woman, who seemed to have found what she was looking for. It was a beautiful mix of pink and gold, and layered in a rich, beautiful way that made her gasp. It had a golden shawl attached to it, and she knew that it would keep her warm against Cardiff's winter. She stared at the dress with wide eyes. She absolutely loved it. She took it from River Song and smiled slightly, moving behind a privacy screen to put it on, but still able to look at the curious woman.

"Take a picture, take as many pictures as you can. Everywhere you go, with everyone you meet. The Doctor. The people you save, and the people you lose. Never stop, Rose," River paused, before continuing quieter. There was borrowed pain in her voice. "The Doctor doesn't like to look back, or to remember, but he needs to. He needs to know that they shouldn't be forgotten. So keep them alive in the pictures, in the memories, and don't let him forget, okay?"

When Rose had finished putting the dress on, with the help of a handy machine the TARDIS had for lacing up corsets, she moved away from the privacy screen and stepped toward River Song. "I will do my best, I promise. You're right… because I wouldn't want to be forgotten."

"No one does," River replied quietly, her eyes dark.

Rose moved toward the 56th century heels, knowing that they had finally found the secret to comfortable heels and picked some out. When she turned back around, the mysterious woman had disappeared and Rose frowned in frustration. She hadn't really gotten any better understanding of who the woman was aside from her name and that she was probably from her future. With a sigh, she decided to think about it later and finish up.

On her way out, Rose picked up a beautiful and simple golden locket with a rose on it. She opened it to make sure it didn't belong to anyone and found a picture of her and her Doctor - her brown and rude Doctor. One that they'd taken on Woman Wept together on her birthday, or what he decided was her birthday, since they'd been travelling for so long and still not celebrated it. She clasped it around her neck happily and made her way back to the Doctor so they could start the adventure.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Doctor looked up when he heard footsteps on the grating and saw the bottom of a pink and gold dress and pulled himself up so he could look at her. He stopped in the middle of pulling himself out of the grating as he fully took in the sight of his new companion. "You look beautiful," he said before he could stop himself. He blinked at his words but said nothing else.

Rose paused and smiled at him teasingly. "For a human?"

The Doctor pulled himself up and nodded firmly, glad for the excuse. "Exactly."

"Hey, I was thinking, I'd really like to take pictures as we go. I wanna keep memories, just for myself. D'you have anything I can carry around with us?"

The Doctor considered her question before lying on the grating and dipping his head into the same area he was working on. He tossed a few things up before he stopped abruptly. "Aha!"

Rose watched with an amused smile on her face as he climbed out of the hole again and handed her two items.

One was a camera similar to one she saw when she was in 2012, and another was just a small dot sitting on her hand. "Doctor?"

"The bigger one is one you can carry around and use to take pictures with people, but if we're running or otherwise unable to take a simple picture, you can use that one. I forgot I had it, honestly, but might as well let it come to some use."

Rose grinned. It was perfect.

"How does the little one work?"

The Doctor threw himself back into the grating and dug around for another moment before pulling out a weird looking gun. He grabbed the dot back from Rose and stuffed it into the gun before removing himself from the floor for the last time, covering it up again while he was at it. "This," he started, pacing over to her and grabbing her hand. "Is going to hurt." He pushed the gun gently against her hand and pulled the trigger, sending a sharp pain through her hand and, curiously, her eyes. "It connects to the visual centers in your brain so that when you _think_ about taking a picture, it does. Your hand will flash red for a moment when you've taken a picture. It's quite handy."

Rose groaned at his joke as he gave her hand back to her and looked down at it. She looked back at the Doctor curiously. "So I just have to… think?"

"Yep, simple as that," he confirmed, grabbing the other camera from her hands and stuffing it into his pockets for her to use later. Rose looked up at him and smiled widely before looking back down, and, seeing the red dot flashing on her hand, he realized she'd taken a picture of him.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed, giving him her tongue in tooth smile that he was growing to love.

"Come on," the Doctor said, nodding toward the door and starting to walk over. Rose grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Oh no," she said, moving around him and toward the door. "You've done this before - I haven't." He nodded and let her open the doors and she gasped audibly at the beautiful snow and city. Just one more reminder of how much she'd missed this. She took a step into the fresh snow and felt him step down next to her and grab her arm.

"Here we go," the Doctor said softly. "History."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose sighed as she woke up, her head pounding viciously in pain. She wished there'd been another way to get to Sneed's house, but the easiest way was to let him knock her out and take her back there. She knew the Doctor would be coming for her, so she steeled herself for what was coming.

Sure enough, blue gas floated around and entered the body in the casket sitting across from her, and the body sat up, groaning incoherently. She kept her breathing steady as it pulled itself out of the box and moved closer to her. Her eyes flicked around the room for something she could use in defense. She knew the Doctor would get there in time, but she didn't like being helpless. Her eyes settled on a candelabra and she snatched it up, waving it in front of her as the Gelth possessed bodies pushed her into a corner, trapping her there.

"Let me out!" Rose screamed as they came closer. She threw a vase that was sitting on a table next to her and hit her target, though it didn't do much good. "Please!" She pounded on the table as the zombies moved closer. "Somebody help me, please! Doctor! Open the door! Doctor!" Just as they went to grab her by the mouth, she ducked and turned, hitting them over the head with the candelabra still held tightly in her hands. The Doctor opened the door and pulled her aside right then, also grabbing the makeshift weapon from his companion and tossing it on the floor.

"I think this is my dance," the Time Lord said, holding her hand and pulling her against his side.

"Sure is," Rose replied with a short, startled laugh.

"It's a prank," Dickins interrupted. "Must be. We're under some mesmeric influence."

"No we aren't," Rose rolled her eyes at the man. "Those are real dead people, and they just tried to kill me."

"It's true," the Doctor nodded, before smiling down at her briefly. "Hi."

"Hi," Rose replied brightly. "Who's your friend?"

"Charles Dickins," the Doctor replied, grinning now.

"Oh!" Rose turned to the disbelieving man. "I love your books. I'm such a fan."

"Hello, I'm the Doctor," the Time Lord said, now addressing the Gelth. "Who are you, then? What do you want?"

"Failing," they replied, and Rose bit her lip, anger and frustration and sadness welling up inside of her. "Open the rift, we're dying. This form cannot sustain. Help us!" The bodies gasped and the blue gas creatures floated out and into the wall as they screamed, the Doctor's eyebrows raising as the bodies dropped to the ground.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"You drugged me, kidnapped me, and maybe you don't see how it's wrong but you felt me up, _you touched me without my permission_ and then you put me in a room with those… things, and locked the door, and don't even pretend like you weren't trying to get me killed. You are a despicable old man," Rose huffed angrily.

"I won't be spoken to like this," Sneed replied, indignant.

"Oh yes you will!" Rose snapped. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean you or anyone else can take advantage of me, and you _sure as hell_ cannot silence me."

Sneed looked at the Doctor for some help, expecting him to control her, but the man just shook his head, outwardly amused but actually uncomfortably angry with the man as well.

Rose snorted, though she was definitely not amused. She was full of righteous fury. "And don't think _he_ can shut me up, either. I am my own person, Sneed, and you better see that right now and _apologize_!"

"It's not my fault," the man said, extremely uncomfortable being put in his place by a woman. "It's this house!" She huffed at the deflection but let him continue. She'd gotten her point across. "It's got a reputation," he continued. "Haunted… but I never had much bother until about three months back, and then the stiffs," he paused at Dickins' look of offense and corrected himself. "The _dear departed_ started getting restless."

"Tommyrot," Dickens said, dismissing the idea completely.

"You witnessed it!" Sneed denied, shaking his head emphatically. "Can't keep the beggars down, sir. They walk. And it's the queerest thing, but they hang onto scraps…"

"Two sugars, just how you like it," Gwenyth said, handing a tea cup to the Doctor. Rose studied the girl, and realized that she'd avoided looking at her the entire time. The young girl walked away, looking at the floor to avoid Rose's gaze.

"...walked into his own memorial service. Just like the old lady going to your performance, sir," Sneed finished, looking very serious about convincing the stubborn man. Rose knew it was a lost cause, at least for now, and stifled a sigh. "Just as she planned."

"Morbid fancy," Dickins declared, standing.

"Oh, Charles, you were there," the Doctor said, sounding a bit annoyed now.

"I saw nothing but an illusion," the man denied, turning up his nose.

Rose snorted. "We all know what we've seen - you're just lying to yourself now, mate."

The Doctor nodded firmly before moving on and looking at Sneed again. "What about the gas?"

"Huh? Oh, no, that's new, sir. Never seen anything like that," the man replied, shaking his head.

"That means it's getting stronger," the Doctor told them, glancing up at Rose. "The rift is getting wider, and something's leaking through."

"What's the rift?" Rose asked, trying to sound confused, but curious.

"It's a weak point in time and space that connects this place and another," he answered her before looking back at Sneed. "That's the cause of ghost stories, most of the time."

"That's how I got the house so cheap," Sneed told them as Charles left quietly. "Stories, going back generations. Echoes in the dark, queer songs in the air and this feeling like a… shadow passing over your soul." He paused before saying in a normal voice, "Mind you, truth be told, it's been good for business. Just what people expect from a gloomy old trade like mine…"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Checking for strings?"

Charles looked up for barely a moment before going back to work examining the casket. "Wires, perhaps. There must be some mechanism behind this fraud."

"Oh, come on, Charles," the Doctor said, walking over to the man who seemed, quite honestly, panicked. "You've got one of the best minds in the world. You saw those gas creatures."

"I cannot accept that," Charles interrupted.

" _And_ what does the body do when it decomposes? It breaks down and produces gas. Perfect home for these gas things. They can slip inside, use it as a vehicle. Just like your driver and his coach."

"Stop it," Charles said, shaking his head. "Can it be that I have the world entirely wrong?"

The Doctor shook his head with a bit of a smile. "No, not wrong. There's just more to learn."

"I've always railed against the fantisists. Oh, I loved an illusion as much as the next, and reviled in them. But that's exactly what they were, illusions. The real world is something else. I dedicated myself to that. Injustices, the great social causes. I hoped that I was a force for good… Now you tell me that the real world is a realm of spectors, and jack-o-lanterns. In which case, have I wasted my brief span here, Doctor? Has it all been for nothing?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose took a deep breath before walking into the small room, heading straight for the sink at the back and grabbing a teacup, scrubbing it gently.

"Please, Miss, you shouldn't be helping, it isn't right!" Gwenyth said softly, though her voice was shaking and the words sounded wrong, like she was reading them out of a book.

"Sneed works you to death," Rose said, trailing off when Gwenyth said it with her. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, understanding just why the girl had been avoiding her gaze. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Miss. I've seen it in your mind. You know just why this has to happen, and I do, too," the young girl assured her, even as she looked to the side, and Rose recognized that look. It was the same as when she'd really read her mind. "But you don't know just how important the Bad Wolf is, do you? All of time in your hands, to shape and mold… and all of those faces, Miss, oh… they're all so different and yet… so much the same. It is all you, Miss. You and your Doctor. Oh," she gasped, surprised. "You've come such a long way. Fighting for so long, for so many years, you have. And you," her words cut off abruptly and her hand covered her mouth in horror. "You have felt the grip of death and you have returned already. And you will do so again and again, all to be with your Doctor."

"Gwenyth-,"

"The darkness, oh how it'll follow you. Consume you and your Doctor and your friend… you must find him again, or he will lose everything. Find him before you revisit old friends, or there will be no hope for him anymore."

"Who… Jack?" Rose frowned deeply. The Doctor had said he'd stayed behind to rebuild or something of the sort and she hadn't completely believed him, and now she definitely didn't.

Gwenyth reached forward abruptly and grabbed her hands, whispering now. "You will become a Goddess of Time, but you mustn't, you can't reveal until it is over and the truth is free again."

Rose tried to speak but the girl backed up against the wall and gasped. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Miss, I can't help it."

"It's okay," she said, trying to steady her voice.

"Ever since I was a little girl," Gwenyth continued, dropping the rag she was holding onto the counter. "My mum said I had the sight, she told me to hide it!"

"But it's getting stronger, more powerful. Is that right?" The Doctor startled both of them and Rose's heart rate picked up, wondering just how much he'd heard - just how suspicious he was of her now.

Gwenyth looked at her before lowering her head slightly. "All the time, sir. Every night. Voices in my head."

"You grew up on top of the rift. You're part of it. You're the key," the Doctor told her. Rose's gut twisted painfully as the Doctor understood that Gwenyth could get them through.

"I've tried to make sense of it, sir," the girl told him, and there was something to her that hadn't been there moments before… acceptance. "Consulted spiritualists, table wrappers, all sorts."

"Well that should help," the Doctor told her. "You can show us what to do."

"What to do where, sir?"

"We're gonna have a seance."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"This is how Madame Mordlock summons those from the land of mists, down in Bigtown," Gwenyth told them. Everyone was sitting around the table, and Rose felt _sick_. It was all downhill from here. "Come. We must all join hands."

"I can't take part in this," Charles shook his head.

"Humbug?" The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the old man. "Come on, open mind."

"This is precisely the sort of cheap mummery I strive to unmask," Charles said, standing. "Seances? Nothing but luminous tambourines and a squeeze box concealed between the knees. This girl knows nothing."

"Don't attack her because you choose to be so close minded," Rose snapped, her frustration boiling over.

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed. "I love a happy medium."

Rose sighed.

"Come on," the Time Lord said, looking toward the author. "We might need you."

Reluctantly, the old man sat back down, though he still looked like he'd rather be anywhere else than there.

"Good man," the Doctor praised before turning back to the young girl on his left. "Now, Gwenyth, reach out."

"Speak to us," she said, looking up. Rose squeezed her hand, anxiety growing. "Are you there? Spirits, come. Speak to us, that we may relieve your burden." She stopped and looked up as quiet voices filled the room. Rose could hear them better this time and she wondered if it was because she was telepathic now.

"Can you hear that?" She asked, eyes wide at the noise in her head.

"Nothing can happen," Charles denied. "This is sheer folly."

"Look at her," Rose sighed.

"I see them!" Gwenyth gasped, rocking back and forth in her chair. "I feel them."

"It can't get through the rift," the Doctor mumbled before turning to the girl on his left. "Gwenyth, it's not controlling you. You're controlling it. Now look deep. Allow them through."

"No!" Rose shouted before she could stop herself. The Doctor's eyes pinned themselves on her. "What- what if they're dangerous?"

"We don't have time, Rose," the Doctor said, slight reprimand in his voice.

"I can't," Gwenyth said, her voice strained.

"Yes, you can," the Doctor promised her. "Just believe it. I have faith in you, Gwenyth. Make the link."

"Yes," she gasped, and a blue creature of gas appeared behind her, making Rose's heart constrict painfully.

"Great God," Sneed said, eyes wide. "Spirits from the other side!"

"The other side of the universe," the Doctor corrected.

"Pity us," the gas creature started. "Pity the Gelth. There is so little time - help us."

"What do you want us to do?"

"The rift," they answered quickly. "Take the girl to the rift. Make the bridge."

"What for?" the Doctor asked.

"We are so very few," they explained.

"'Few' is a subjective word," Rose spat. "How many are there?"

"The last of our kind, we face extinction," they continued, ignoring her.

"Why? What happened?"

Rose sucked in a breath and couldn't bring herself to let it back out.

"Once we had a physical form, like you," they told him. "But then the War came."

"War?" Charles asked, confused. "What war?"

"The Time War," they answered, and Rose thought she might throw up. She knew they'd done it - the Doctor would never listen to her now, at least not before he trusted her more. "The whole universe convulsed. The Time War raged, invisible to smaller species but devastating to higher forms. Our bodies wasted away. Trapped in this gaseous state."

"So that's why you need the corpses," the Doctor surmised.

"We want to stand tall, to feel the sunlight," they answered. "To live again."

"But they're corpses," Rose interrupted. "They're dead, the only one of those you can do is stand tall, and that's only until they decompose too much."

"We need a physical form, and your dead are abandoned," they insisted. "They go to waste. Give them to us."

"What about their families? You'll just walk around in a dead body, and their families could see. It happened at the theatre."

"I can take them somewhere," the Doctor told her.

"Open the rift," the Gelth interrupted. "Let the Gelth through. We're dying, help us. Pity the Gelth," they said as they released Gwenyth, letting her fall onto the table. Rose rushed over, pulling her upright and calling her name.

"Gwenyth, are you okay? Oh…" she sighed, rubbing the girl's hair gently.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Doctor watched his young companion as she ran a wet cloth over Gwenyth's forehead. He couldn't understand why she was so against helping the Gelth, though he had to admit that he was impressed by her use of logic instead of fearing the weird - letting them use the bodies.

He wondered if her thoughts on the matter had anything to do with what he'd heard in the pantry earlier. He'd come in to hear Gwenyth saying that Rose had been fighting for years. He wondered what that meant. He knew that she lived in a rough area and it was possible it had to do with that, but he felt like it was something more, something bigger.

And then she'd said that Rose had died. And that she would again.

The thought took his breath away, and he'd had to engage his respiratory bypass.

The next words weren't that unusual, mentioning darkness. There was a fair bit of that in his life and it only made sense that Rose would see it, too. But what she'd said after that… made no sense to him. Who did Rose have to find. What old friends were being revisited? He didn't understand it, but Rose obviously had, as he'd heard her gasp. She'd mentioned someone named Jack - and there was a curious pain and longing there - but after that, they'd lowered their voices too much and he couldn't hear them anymore.

None of it made sense, and it bothered him.

And yet, he still trusted her. Or rather, he didn't _not_ trust her. But he was confused and he couldn't help but feel like what was said was so _important_ , and it drove him crazy.

He shook away his thoughts as he watched Gwenyth's eyes open, and Rose pulled away so that she wasn't hovering over her.

"It's alright," Rose said, placing a calming hand on Gwenyth's own. "You just stay there."

"But my angels, Miss. They came, didn't they? They need me?"

The Doctor saw something dark flash over Rose's face and frowned slightly. "They do need you, Gwenyth. You're their only chance of survival."

"Leave her alone," Rose hissed. "She's not fighting your battles, she's exhausted." The Doctor sighed as Rose moved a glass of water to Gwenyth's mouth, trying to help the girl.

"Well what did you say, Doctor? Explain it again, what are they?" Sneed questioned from the table.

"Aliens," he stated simply, his patience wearing thin.

"Like… foreigners you mean?"

"Pretty foreign, yeah," the Doctor rolled his eyes as he pushed himself away from the wall. "From up there," he pointed upward in explanation, but he knew it would go over the old man's head anyway.

"Breacon?"

"Close. And they've been trying to get through from Breacon to Cardiff, but the road's blocked. Only a few can get through, even then they're weak. They can only test drive the bodies for so long, and they have to revert to gas and hide in the pipes."

"Which is why they need the girl," Charles helped explain.

"They're not having her," Rose snapped. "We don't even know why they want to come and has everyone forgotten that they tried to kill me? They almost grabbed me by the throat! And they've killed more, haven't they, Sneed?"

Sneed looked down and shrugged slightly. "They may have."

"People die all the time, Doctor," Rose locked eyes with him, pleading silently. "There's plenty of bodies for them. So why are they killing more?"

"They're confused, and scared and trapped. I'm sure they don't mean to," the Doctor denied, though he could see the clear logic that he was having a hard time ignoring. Hard, but not impossible. "You heard what they said, time's short. They could be dying - the last of the Gelth."

"The angels need me, Miss," Gwenyth told her, grabbing her hand tightly. "You know I must."

Rose sighed in such a defeated way that it made his hearts squeeze, but he said nothing.

"Doctor," Gwenyth said, standing up. "What do I have to do?"

"You don't have to do anything," he assured her. It was her decision in the end.

"They've been singing to me since I was a child," Gwenyth told him. "I want the noise to end. So tell me, what do I do?"

"We need to find the rift," he explained to her before pacing back over to Sneed and Charles. "This house is on a weak spot, so there must be a spot that's weaker than any other. Mister Sneed, what's the weakest part of this house? The place where most of the ghosts have been seen."

"That would be the morgue."

Rose snorted. "Have to set the mood, right?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Doctor, I know that corpses weren't walking around in 2005. So tell me, can time change? Could we change the world today?"

The Doctor gave her a bright, proud smile. "Yep! Everything can change, Rose Tyler. Time is constantly in flux. Changing every second."

"Doctor, I think the room is getting colder," Charles told them. The Doctor looked around as some blue gas flowed into the room.

"Here they come," Rose warned, her voice dark. The gas flew under the arch in the room, and Rose knew they wouldn't look so innocent soon.

"You've come to help," they exclaimed. "Praise the Doctor, praise him."

"Promise you won't hurt her!" Rose demanded, though she knew it would do no good.

"Hurry!" They begged, ignoring her entirely. "Please, so little time. Pity the Gelth."

"I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer," the Doctor explained as he walked up to them. Rose moved to stand by his side, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. "Somewhere you can build proper bodies. This isn't a permanent solution, alright?"

"We must do it now, Doctor," Gwenyth said firmly. There was a terrified sort of determination in her eyes that scared Rose. She hated how this girl accepted what had to happen so willingly.

"Okay," he nodded. "Where's the weak point?"

"Here, beneath the arch," they said, Gwenyth moving before they'd even begun. Rose ran over to her and grabbed her hands, her heart breaking for the poor girl. She knew she'd be dead soon.

"You don't have to do this," she tried.

"But you know I do," Gwenyth replied, straining slightly. "This has to happen."

"Establish the bridge, reach out to the void!" the Gelth demanded. "Let us through!"

"I can see you," Gwenyth said, her voice dark as her arms went down to her sides. Her eyes were wide open and unseeing, and Rose wondered if they'd lost her yet. "Come to this world."

"It has begun, the bridge is made," they declared. Gwenyth's mouth opened and there was a light as the Gelth flew out and into the room. "She has given herself to the Gelth. The bridge is open. We descend."

They watched as the Gelth changed from an innocent blue to a vicious red and revealed themselves.

"We will come through in force!"

"You said you were few in number!" Charles denied.

"Few? Three? A few hundred? A few thousand? A few million?" Rose snapped. "I told you, and you didn't listen!"

"A few billion," they corrected. "And all of us in need of corpses!"

"Now, Gwenyth," Sneed tried as Rose took a step closer, remembering what happened next. "Stop this. Listen to your master! This has gone far enough. Stop dabbling, child, and leave these things alone, I beg of you!"

Rose shoved the old man out of the way as a corpse grabbed for him and kicked the Gelth filled body hard on the chest before moving over to the old man to help him up and out of the way, back next to the Doctor. The Doctor grabbed her hand tightly in his own and spared her a quick questioning glance. She saw Charles run away out of the corner of her eye and vaguely heard him say something, but she didn't really care. She was coming up with her own plan.

"We need bodies," the Gelth said. "All of you, dead. The human race, dead."

"Gwenyth, stop them! Send them back, now!" The Doctor demanded, but Rose squeezed his hand.

"I don't think she can, Doctor."

The Doctor looked around as he realized that she was right before opening the gate behind them and shoving her in, following as well. He closed it and stared at the Gelth on the other side. "I trusted you. I pitied you!"

"We don't want your pity! We want this world and all its flesh!"

"Not while I'm alive."

"Then live no more," the Gelth said, and Rose tried not to roll her eyes at the line. While he was distracted with the monsters in front of them, Rose ripped the gas pipe out of the wall. The Doctor whipped around to see what she'd done, and she ran out of their little cell and back to Gwenyth, but not before kicking out another pipe, which got rid of the immediate danger fairly quickly, except that the gas filled the room too quick and she began to choke. She did her best to breathe slowly so she could speak to the dead girl in front of her.

"You can let them go now," Rose promised in between coughs. "Your parents would be so proud, Gwenyth. And thank you."

Rose collapsed just as Gwenyth pulled out the matchbox, her eyes closing as she slipped into unconsciousness.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Doctor followed Charles to Rose, only to get to her just as she passed out. He glanced around the room and understood quickly why - she'd hit another gas pipe to make it go quicker. The Doctor had engaged his respiratory bypass when Rose had hit the first pipe, so he hadn't noticed how unbreathable the air was. When his gaze shifted to Gwenyth, he saw a matchbox in her hands and realized what had happened. She couldn't send them back, but she could get rid of them - she could kill them. "Send them back," he tried. "Get rid of them."

"I can't," Gwenyth said, her voice flat. "Leave, take them and leave."

"I can't leave you while you're still in danger. Leave that to me."

"Leave," she insisted, more firmly this time. He shared a long look with her before realizing that Rose was right. She couldn't do anything - she'd been dead the moment she stood under the arch.

Rose was right about all of it.

So he kissed her forehead and picked up his young companion and ran, Charles already having left - though he did find the writer at the top of the stairs with Sneed, looking as if he were steeling himself to go back down.

And just as they cleared the house, it blew up.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose woke up in the medbay with an oxygen mask over her mouth. She pulled it off of her face and looked around, finding the Doctor sitting at the computer across the room. She took a moment to assess how she was feeling before she sat up, drawing the attention of the Doctor, who moved quickly over to her and ran his sonic across her. "What happened?"

"You breathed in too much gas," he said, telling her what she already knew. She'd trusted him to get her out of there before she died, and he had. "Passed out. Brought you back here. Everything's done now, the Gelth are gone."

"What about Gwenyth?" She had to hear him say it. She needed him to explain what had happened.

"She… died," he sighed, rubbing his face in a motion that reminded her of the next Doctor.

"What happened, Doctor?"

"She lit the house on fire to get rid of the Gelth. She couldn't send them back. She died the minute she stepped under that arch. I'm sorry."

Rose closed her eyes as tears welled up and her heart squeezed painfully. She'd known it was going to happen but it didn't help with the loss. It still hurt. "She saved us, the entire world, and no one will know."

"We do."

"I took pictures of her," Rose told him quietly. "Can we print one out? I want to… I don't know, I want to keep them."

"Of course," the Doctor nodded.

With a sigh, Rose stood up, stretching. "Is there somewhere I can rest? Take a shower?"

"Yeah! Yeah, let me show you to your room, Rose Tyler."

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	5. Memories Uncovered

**Memories Uncovered**

Rose gasped as she came to a stop in front of a door, the Doctor next to her. She stared at it for a second before turning to look at the Doctor. "Can you read that?"

"No," he said with a deep frown. "The TARDIS won't translate it. Can you? What's it say?"

 _ **Bad Wolf**_

"I don't know," she lied badly. Her hands were shaking as she ran her fingers over the delicately carved words and the flower underneath it. "It's beautiful."

"She's never kept something from me like this before," the Doctor was obviously frustrated, and she could practically hear his mind racing. He shook his head and waved at her to open the door, and she did. She was exhausted and just wanted a nice bath and some sleep before they went home to see her mother.

Inside the room was a large, black four poster bed with TARDIS blue sheets and duvet. Her walls were a beautiful, deep purple that reminded her of her room in Pete's world - a room that she'd come to love. She'd had countless conversations with her mother and Pete about the things she hadn't wanted to talk about before - the danger and very real fear of never coming home, but also the magical way she'd loved the Doctor with everything she'd had.

There was a dresser on one wall that she was going to fill after the business with the Slitheen, and a vanity on the wall across from it, which was new - she hadn't had that on her last stay in the TARDIS.

She wandered into the en suite and found a large shower and tub, with various products lined up on the counter including some magical epsom salts that she'd found on an asteroid when the Doctor had stopped to pick up a part for the TARDIS after falling into Pete's universe and meeting the Cybermen.

"Wow," the Doctor breathed, looking around. "She really likes you."

"You said she was alive," Rose poked him. "Can she… communicate?"

"Why?" the Doctor asked, blinking.

"Well cause, if she did this, I wanna thank her," she explained. She wanted to be able to openly appreciate the TARDIS.

The Doctor stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "She's telepathic, so you can't talk to her, but I typically pat her walls or the console…"

"Telepathic?" Rose frowned. This was a question she'd had since before the 456 - when she'd been kidnapped and tortured by some telepathic aliens. She knew she needed to be careful but she needed answers - she'd been unprotected mentally for too long. "Like when you hear whispers, words in your head that aren't your own? The way I talked to J- the Face of Boe?" She winced at her slip up. She'd been having a hard time thinking of him as the Face of Boe since she found out who he was.

"You're telepathic?" the Doctor asked, frowning at her as he looked at her closely.

"I don't know… maybe?"

"You're completely human," he said, though she felt like it was partly a question, and she shrugged, nodding a little. He pulled her back through into her bedroom and sat her on her bed, pulling the chair to the vanity over and sitting in front of her. "What I'm about to ask you is very serious," he told her, and her gut twisted. She had a feeling she knew exactly what he was going to ask. "And you can say no - this is your mind and only you can control what happens in it and who is in it. Understand?"

Rose nodded briefly, shoving down the panic that was trying to overwhelm her.

"I'd like to enter your mind and see why you're telepathic," he told her. She could see that his hands were shaking, and she took a deep breath. This was her Doctor. He'd never hurt her. With a jerky nod, she moved a little closer so he could touch his hands to her head. "No, I need you to say it. Consent is important, Rose."

"I consent. You can enter my mind." Her voice was quiet and shaky and she closed her eyes as flashbacks of the aliens that invaded her mind in Pete's world attempted to overwhelm her. She took a few deep breaths and pushed those thoughts away, but his fingers came to rest on her head too quickly.

He was only in her head for a second before his fingers left hers and she felt him stare at her in shock.

"Rose-,"

"Doctor, it's not what it looks like," she tried, biting her lip as the previous panic began to claw at her again.

"It looks like you met some aliens and they forced their way into your mind and _destroyed_ it," he snapped, horror still drawn all over his face. Rose wasn't sure what to say to that because really, he wasn't wrong. She realized too late that this was too suspicious, and that she'd be answering some questions now. "When?"

Rose blinked. "What?"

"When did this happen?"

"Oh, uh… three years ago," she told him after doing some quick math. "But it's really not… it's not what it seems."

The Doctor sucked in a breath at that. "You were sixteen."

"No," she shook her head.

"Rose, you're nineteen!"

"No, please, just listen-,"

"They invaded your mind, destroyed it, and left you alone on a planet where you couldn't even get help fixing it, except for UNIT, but you wouldn't even know who they are," the Doctor looked sick, and she felt horrible. "You've grown used to it, Rose, but your mind is broken and torn apart. Why didn't you mention this? Why did you come travelling with a strange alien?"

"I trust you," she said quietly, tears welling up in her eyes. "You save people - you wouldn't hurt me."

"How did this happen?" He asked quietly, watching as the first tear fell, staining her cheek.

"They just came," she whispered. She hadn't even told her mom or Pete about it - it had happened when she was on vacation and she'd taken care of it herself. She hadn't gone home for another three months because they'd ripped apart her memories until nothing made sense, so she was stuck trying to put it all back together in one of Pete's vacation homes. "There were only two of them, and I was the only one around," she thought about how she could twist it so she told the truth but made it fit what he thought her life so far had been.

"I'd run away and managed to get to this… this island, with so few people. It was an accident - I got off at the wrong stop. I ended up in this abandoned house on the other side of the island from the regular city and I stayed there because they had some non perishable food and a panic room with even more in the basement. I was asleep when they came, and I heard them so I grabbed this… this knife thing. I think it was used for hunting. They were tall, and grey, and wearing suits. They had two fingers and a thumb sort of thing, I guess. And they could shoot electricity from their hands, and they did. They knocked the knife away and touched my head… and…" she took a shaky breath, tears streaming freely down her face now. The Doctor watched on in silent horror, not knowing quite how to comfort her. "It went on for days, I think. Months, maybe. And then they were just gone. I… can't explain, I can't say it. I can't…"

"It's okay," the Doctor said softly.

"You can… look again, but I can't," Rose said. The Doctor blinked at her.

"Are you sure? Rose, this is likely to cause flashbacks."

"That's okay," she said as she wiped tears from her cheeks. "I- I consent."

The Doctor nodded slowly and placed his fingers once more on her temples, falling into her mind.

It was chaos.

He gave her a gentle mental stroke to calm her down enough that he could see what she refused to say.

They had disconnected each memory, so that they were just things that had happened. They were barely there. She had no real way of accessing them, because nothing brought them up, the way you'd hear "mom" and think of your mother - that didn't happen in her mind because it was like they'd torn apart everything connecting her mind and dumped the rest on the ground. It was as if they were searching for something but what, he had no clue. In the place of the memories was an illusion of what he assumed was her bedroom at home. She saw her mother and talked to her, but he couldn't tell what about, because anything they said sounded like gibberish. The illusion lasted long after they'd disappeared - done with her, he assumed. Slowly her memory repaired itself enough that she knew what had happened and could get home.

He exited her mind for a moment, though his hands fell on her shoulders. He watched as she took some deep breaths, probably to calm herself, before she opened her eyes and made hesitant eye contact. He could tell she hated feeling so vulnerable, but he couldn't let her walk around with her mind still so wrecked. It was like someone had used a bit of glue to put it back together, and the glue would wear away eventually - soon, probably. Her mind needed to be stitched together.

"It still… sometimes I still see it," she admitted quietly. If he hadn't had superior hearing, he might've missed it, even sitting this close. "Sometimes it's like I'm still trapped there, I can't escape. Just have to wait until it fades eventually."

"I can help," the Doctor promised, squeezing her shoulders gently. "But I'll have to help from inside your mind."

Rose hesitated. "Okay."

"Only if you're comfortable with it," he told her seriously. "But the longer you put it off, the harder it'll be."

"I said okay," she insisted, before pausing. "But what does that mean? What will you do?"

"I'll have to look through all of your memories," he looked in her eyes, wanting to convey just how serious this was. "I'll see all of them - more than that, I know what they mean to you. How you felt when these memories were made and how you feel about them now. I have to stitch them back together, take away the glue you used."

Rose shook her head immediately. "No."

"Rose-,"

"You _can't_ ," she insisted. "You can't."

"Rose, this'll only get worse," he tried to explain, but all he could see was fear in her eyes. "What's so bad that you don't want me to see?"

"I- there's just- there's things, things I can't tell you, that you can't know right now," she threw her hands up and pulled at her hair, a sure sign of her anxiety. "Please, Doctor."

"I can't know right now?" the man frowned at her. "Rose, you're a constant mystery. You knew the Face of Boe, you adjusted amazingly well to aliens and the death of your own planet, and you knew things about the Gelth - you were constantly suspicious. And I scanned you. You're completely human, but you've got traces of Atron energy."

Rose let her hands fall to her side and squeezed them, digging her nails into her hands sharply as she tried to control her breathing. "I can't."

"Yes, you can," the Doctor said, his frustration with her growing and pushing aside the worry momentarily. "You have to."

Rose took a deep breath before looking at him, a deep frown marring her face. "If I show you something, can you block it out of your memory until it's safe to know?"

The Doctor nodded slowly, confused. "If I decide I need to, I can."

"Okay," Rose said. "Can you do that multiple times, in case this ever happens again?"

"Yes, like I said, if I think I need to."

"Then… let me show you," she offered, tapping her temples. He considered her for a moment before slowly raising his hands to her head and entering her mind.

The first thing he saw was himself from what he assumed was her point of view. There was a golden light surrounding her, and he watched as she waved her hand at some Daleks - Daleks! - and they dissolved into atoms.

"I bring life," she declared, and he saw a man lying against the wall, dead, gasp. He'd been brought back to life. He could feel the love she felt for this man and couldn't fault her for wanting to save him.

It skipped ahead to her standing in front of the Doctor and he frowned at the missing memory, wondering what had happened. "It's killing me," she gasped, tears running down her face.

"I think you need a Doctor," he said, and he winced at the bad line. He kissed her, and she went limp, falling into his arms. The Doctor in Rose's memories moved forward to look at her and wondered at how she looked so… dead. He thought back to what Gwenyth had said about Rose having died and assumed that's what she meant, his hearts tightening at the thought.

The memories skipped to them in the TARDIS, and he saw himself talking to her.

"You were fantastic," he said, smiling sadly at her. "And you know what? So was I!"

And then he regenerated into… a pretty boy?

The next memory was of Rose and the New Doctor and her friend… Ricky? The New Doctor left them to save a french aristocrat, and had no way back. They'd retreated into the TARDIS. They spent… a very long time there before the New Doctor got back.

"How long did you wait?" he asked quickly, grinning down at Rose, who had lost some weight and looked paler than when he'd left - though he didn't seem to notice.

"Five and a half-,"

"Great! Always wait five and a half hours," the New Doctor informed her before running past her and into the TARDIS. Rose looked defeated and followed him, pretending like nothing was wrong.

The next few memories were just as painful but went quicker. He saw the TARDIS fall into another universe and watched as they met her parents - he didn't know that her dad was dead - and watched her mother die. The Cybermen were defeated, and Mickey stayed behind to be with his grandmother.

They met Satan, and he watched the pain Rose felt when she thought the Doctor had died and he realized she loved him completely. They made it out, but not before "Satan" had issued a dark prophecy.

And then they reached memories tinged with pain and tears and heartbreak. Daleks and Cybermen invaded, and ripped them apart. Rose was stuck in another universe with her parents and Mickey, but he knew the only thing she wanted was to be with him. He'd found a way to say goodbye, but he couldn't bring her back.

She showed him what had really happened with the aliens - she'd met them on vacation and been left there to repair herself. He realized with a start that they'd been asking about _him_ and even through the entire thing, she gave them nothing.

She worked for her father, who ran that universes version of the organization that had ripped them apart - and she was good at her job. She could probably do what he did, but without him. She could fight, which explained the kick that saved Sneed, and she was smart and charismatic.

And then came the 456. She felt their messages and in the end, she'd used herself to get rid of them. And she'd died a death more painful than he'd wish on his worst enemy - and he had a few of those.

And she woke up in her universe again, in her nineteen year old body.

His meddling TARDIS.

He pulled his hands away from her head and looked at her. She was staring at the ground and shaking slightly, obviously afraid of his reaction.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I hate lying to you. I just- I just want to fix it."

"This is dangerous," he told her, though his heart wasn't in it. He had faith that she could do it without bringing reapers down on them.

"I know."

"I can set up safeguards, so that I just ignore the more suspicious parts of you," he told her, thinking about everything he'd have to do. "Like a perception filter. I'll know it's there, but I won't want to see it."

"You're not gonna kick me out?"

The Doctor blinked at her. "No. But I'm not worth this, Rose."

"You don't get to decide that," she said firmly, her jaw set stubbornly. "I was going to get back to you even if I'd stayed in that universe, my Doctor."

The Doctor shifted, her complete love and affection somewhat unsettling. "You need your mind healed, Rose."

"I know," she shrugged, looking away. She was, honestly, still afraid. He'd see things she didn't exactly want him to see - Jimmy Stone, for example. She hadn't even told him last time about that, and to be fair, it still hurt her quite a bit. They were just more memories she couldn't hide from. "But I'm okay for now, right? Can it just… wait?"

"Why?" the Doctor frowned. "What do you still not want me to see?"

"I just… I can't handle it right now, it's too much after… after everything," she told him, her eyes pleading.

"I can put a trigger phrase on these memories and then when you feel better about fixing it, you can say it and I'll remember. I can also stitch it into your mind so that even if there's nothing else, that will always be there," he added as the idea popped up, though he tried not to think about the implications. He didn't say it, but he was also going to add a subconscious message to _protect her_.

"Okay. How about Darlig Ulv Stranden?"

"That's… Bad Wolf Bay?" the Doctor frowned. "That's where you said goodbye."

Rose nodded. "That way, if you don't remember until then, you'll know in the end."

"Okay. I need to set up some mental barriers and a few videos for the TARDIS to use in case of emergency," the Doctor told her as he stood up. "Why don't you get some sleep? I'll finish all of this tonight."

"You won't remember this tomorrow?" Rose asked, eyes wide.

"Nope," he answered, popping the p. She gave him a hesitant smile.

"Thank you, Doctor."

He smiled back slightly before walking out, the door clicking gently closed behind him.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

In the console room, the Doctor's mind was dark. Focused on everything he'd learned that night and, more importantly, the things she still wasn't telling him. He wasn't entirely sure how long they'd travelled together in her memories but it seemed to be more than a year - maybe two, but not much more.

She'd travelled back to him to fix it, but he wondered if she knew that the TARDIS couldn't have done that on her own - not without being in that universe herself. Which meant that there was something else, something helping them. And his mind fell on the Atron energy in Rose. It had shocked him when he'd seen it because the scans also said that she was completely human. He wasn't certain that was true anymore. The only beings in the universe with Atron energy in them were Time Lords and Ladies and TARDISes, because they were the only beings that had been exposed to the Time Vortex in that manner - Time Lords and Ladies at age eight, to open their time senses, and TARDISes every time they travelled.

But he knew she wasn't.

But he wasn't sure what else it could be.

He sighed and shook his head, moving on. He'd be sitting there all night thinking the same thing if he didn't.

His thoughts unwillingly drifted to the violation of her mind, and he tensed. Knowing what he knew now, and seeing what he'd seen in his memories of the way he did - or would - act around her, only made it worse. Not to mention, it was his fault, considering they were looking for anything concerning him.

And she still didn't want him in her mind, to see her memories. He knew it was an intensely personal thing, usually saved for bondmates and… trauma patients, like her. But she seemed to understand that it had to happen eventually, so he wondered why she still wanted to put it off, especially when she obviously trusted him so much - so much that it radiated throughout her mind.

Which only led him to the conclusion that there was something else, somewhere in her life - probably before she met him - that had happened that was just about as painful as those aliens. The thought made him feel sick and incredibly angry.

He took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes, trying to calm down. She was safe for now, with him, and he would _keep her safe_.

Which is how he found himself putting in as many subconscious messages as he could, all screaming the same thing.

 _ **Keep her safe! Protect her!**_

And

 _ **Trust her!**_

And

 _ **Don't let her leave you!**_

The last one might've been a bit overkill but the message was clear, and he felt much calmer. He wasn't sure when she would feel like they could work on her mind, but he would be there and it would be okay.

He hoped.

He moved off to record a few last ditch efforts - videos of himself begging himself not to look too far into her.

Once he was done, he shut down the camera and made his way into his bedroom, which the TARDIS had kindly moved for him, and laid on his bed to lock away the eventful memories of the night.

And he did. He locked all of them away. Except for one.

One quick image of Rose hanging onto a clamp, but losing her grip and falling into the Void.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	6. Aliens of London - World War Three

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: There's going to be a few trigger warnings. Also! This chapter is going to skip around a lot in the actual episode parts since not much is changing and I want to keep both episodes in this chapter.**_

 _ **TRIGGER WARNINGS: abuse, anxiety/panic attacks, assault, self harm, drug abuse, attempted murder, attempted suicide. It's intense, so be careful and don't push yourself. I can explain anything if you need me to.**_

 **Aliens of London/World War Three**

Rose wandered slowly around the wardrobe as she looked for an outfit - she wasn't particularly feeling like the same red hoodie she'd worn last time, and she'd grown used to skinny jeans in Pete's world. She grabbed a pair of high waisted, ripped skinny jeans and searched for a shirt. She came across a red halter top that came to just below her belly button and met the top of the jeans. Satisfied with that, she looked for shoes and almost immediately found a pair of black leather combat boots. After slipping them on, she replaced her locket and pulled her hair into a high ponytail.

On her way out of the room her eye was caught by a rack that held a single black, leather jacket. It had a rose stitched into the right shoulder, and was generally beautiful and, in Rose's mind, badass. She grabbed the jacket and slipped it on before exiting the room.

She was rather nervous about seeing the Doctor. She hadn't talked to him since he'd left her room the night before and had no way of knowing if he'd even blocked those memories. Taking a deep breath, Rose found her way to the kitchen and put on a kettle, waiting for her Doctor.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Doctor woke up with a headache and feeling exhausted, which was odd, since he'd just _woken up_. He was a Time Lord and he only needed maybe two, three hours every couple of days. His head felt… weird, but he couldn't tell anything wrong with it so he shrugged it off and stood up to shower and get dressed for the day.

When he was ready for a new adventure, he left his room to find Rose - which was easier than expected. All he had to do was follow the smell of the tea she was making. When he reached her, she was dropping sugar into a cup. She turned around and handed it to him with a grin that looked… nervous?

"Good morning," she greeted. "Thought you might like some tea."

"Thank you," he pulled it to his lips and took a sip, not bothering to let it cool. He paused to stare at the cup in his hands. It was probably the best cup of tea he'd ever had.

"I was so tired last night," Rose said, not quite looking at him. "I don't even remember what happened when I woke up in the medbay, aside from you giving me a room."

The Doctor blinked. "You said you needed to sleep, so you said you were going to take a bath and go to bed."

"Ah," she nodded. "Right. So, what did you do all night? Do Time Lords sleep?"

The Doctor grinned. "Of course we do! Not much, though. You apes sleep your life away!"

"So," Rose set her tea cup down and looked at him. "I was thinking, I'd like to stop home and see my mother."

"Ah."

"Not for long. Just to pop in, maybe grab a few things," she explained quickly. "It won't take long… an hour, maybe two."

The Doctor sighed and nodded. "Alright, fine." They stood and he finally got a good view of her outfit and stopped to stare for a second.

"Doctor?"

"That's not… what most people wore in 2005, is it?"

"Not really, but I was looking through the Wardrobe and there were lights flashing around a rack with different outfits hung up," she told him. "I really liked it. Except for the jacket," there was a confused frown on her face. "It was on a rack in front of the door, nothing else on it. I found this locket the same way," she picked the golden necklace up to show him, and it was obvious she adored it.

"Is there anything in it?" the Doctor wondered aloud, gently picking it from her fingers and trying to open it to no avail. He quietly wondered at how much the TARDIS seemed to love his new companion, but focused on the locket - he doubted she'd give Rose a broken locket.

"Dunno," she shrugged lightly. "It won't open."

The Doctor pulled out his sonic to try and get it open when she snatched it back from him suddenly, moving toward the door quickly. "C'mon," she said, pulling his hand. "I wanna get this done. We've got things to do!"

The Doctor shrugged lightly and followed her out of the kitchen and into the console room. She paced as he put in the coordinates and the short trip was made to her home. As soon as the TARDIS landed, she was out the doors, looking around, amazed. "How long have I been gone?"

"About twelve hours," he said with a confident nod. She grinned, laughing lightly as she looked around.

"Right, I won't be long," she promised, turning toward the building to her left. "Just want to see my mum."

"What are you gonna tell her?"

"I don't know," Rose grinned. "The truth. She won't believe me, but she knows when I'm lying anyway, so it isn't worth trying."

"Good plan as any," the Doctor replied.

"See you later! And don't disappear! There's a whole universe to see."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose stared at the door in front of her for only a second before plastering a smile on her face and opening it. "Mum? Mum, I'm home!" She rounded the corner to come face to face with her mum, who promptly dropped the coffee cup she'd been holding.

"It's you."

"Yeah, it's me," she nodded. "I'm sorry mum. I didn't mean to be gone for so long."

"Oh my god, it's you," Jackie cried. "Oh my god!" The woman flung herself into Rose's arms and Rose hated herself for hurting her like this. At that moment, the Doctor barged into the flat, running over to them in a few short paces.

"Um, it's not twelve hours," he told her quickly. "It's twelve months. You've been gone a whole year. Sorry!"

"Thanks," Rose replied shortly. "I'd figured that out." Her mum only continued to cry softly into her chest, and she patted the woman's head to get her attention. "Mum, Mum, I've got some things to tell you."

And that, of course, was enough to wake the ire of Jackie Tyler.

"You bloody well do!" She snapped, slapping her daughter's arm. "Where the _hell_ have you been?"

"See, that's just it," Rose said. "You won't believe me."

"Well," Jackie said stiffly. "I'll put some tea on and you can explain _all_ of it."

"Okay," Rose nodded. Once her mum had left the room, she turned to the Doctor. "I need to show her the TARDIS."

"No!"

"Doctor, she went in there to call the police, I'm sure of it. If I show her the TARDIS, she'll believe me, and send them away," Rose explained quickly, urgency in her eyes.

"We can handle the police," the Doctor promised. "I often get arrested."

"But this is my _mum_ ," Rose said, vulnerability coloring her voice. "She's all I've got."

The Doctor hesitated and had the strangest urge to _**protect her!**_ With a sigh, he nodded. "All right, fine. But we're not making it domestic, got it?"

"Of course, Doctor," Rose said with her wide, tongue touched grinned that he loved.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

In the end, they decided it would be best to shock her by materializing the TARDIS inside of the small flat. She'd be forced to admit that something completely impossible exists, especially since she ran inside and started yelling at him. The police were quickly sent away and all in all, Rose thought her mum was taking all of it… extremely well. A million times better than last time, at least. That did run the risk of her having to call the alien hotline and report the Doctor herself, but she could live with that if it meant that her mum was happier.

They ended up sitting on the couch with tea - fresh tea, as the first cups had gone cold during Jackie's short exploration of the TARDIS - and talking.

"So that thing travels in time?"

"And space," Rose replied patiently. "We went to the end of the world, mum, and then to Christmas in 1860."

Jackie turned toward the Doctor, her eyes narrowing. "And you couldn't get her home in time for tea?"

"I told you I'd be travelling for a bit," Rose's voice raised in his defence. "I didn't mean to be gone this long, but I warned you."

"You didn't warn me that an alien would be kidnapping my daughter!" The woman turned to Rose, a nasty look on her face. "Is this like Jimmy Stone again? Is _that_ what's happened?"

"Mum, stop!" Rose snapped. She ignored the cutting remark about her past relationship - she got those all the time. But she remembered the way she'd let Jackie treat the Doctor last time and she wouldn't let it stand this time. She'd have to have some of those conversations they'd had in Pete's World here, she decided. They'd helped her mum understand better what it was like, and why she loved him so much.

And, she thought briefly, she wouldn't let the Doctor pick on her mum, either. He'd very obviously thought she was stupid and that was fine, it was his opinion, but she'd be damned if she let him make her mum _feel_ stupid. She knew how that felt and she wouldn't stand for it.

She stood up and nodded toward her bedroom, indicating that she wanted a private word with her mother. The woman agreed and followed her to the very… pink room. Once they were both settled on the bed, Rose continued.

"I went with the Doctor because what he does is _amazing_. I haven't even seen much of it and it's been the best time of my life. I love my life here with you, but I've always wanted to be in the stars, to chase them and see what the universe is like," Rose spoke quietly and urgently. She needed to make her mother understand and it seemed like she was getting through a little bit. "He does such wonderful things, mum. He helps people. He finds people in danger or that just need help and he's there. People say that death, darkness follow him but they're _wrong_. He chases those things, not because it's fun, but because he wants to help, to save someone or make them better. Just make someone smile. His world is fast and dangerous and scary and fantastic and confusing and sometimes you have to hop for your life but it is so… fulfilling. I'm finally doing something with this second chance, mum. And I feel more like me when I'm with him than I have since Jimmy," Rose admitted, not looking at her mother. "So whatever pain you've felt over the last year, all this time I've been gone, don't put it all on him and hate him for it. Blame me if you have to, but it isn't his fault."

They were both quiet for a long moment before Jackie spoke.

"You're leaving again, aren't you?"

Rose gave her a soft smile. "I want to become the best version of me that I can be, and I just know that I'll find that by travelling with him."

"You said it's dangerous," Jackie tried, tears falling now. "What if you don't-,"

"But I will," Rose promised. "And we'll come visit. I won't leave you like this again, mum. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."

"I was alone," Jackie told her, crying quietly now. "What do I do without you?"

"Find something that makes you happy," Rose tried. "Live your life. We won't be gone forever."

Jackie broke down into tears and Rose pulled her into her arms, and the pair just sat together, healing for a while before Jackie said one more thing.

"You love him, don't you?"

"He's impossible not to love," Rose whispered in reply, clutching her locket in her hand.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Doctor had never been good at being excluded from conversations. And he got the distinct sense that he was definitely not invited to this one.

So, of course, he was eavesdropping.

Rose hadn't mentioned her love of the universe before she'd met him, but he thought it made sense, considering her enthusiasm. He smiled at the thought, all the more excited to show her anything he could.

And then she'd analyzed him, and it startled him because what she said was what he'd always hoped to be. She was right - he didn't do it because it was fun. He just did it because it was right, and because there were people that needed help.

He thought briefly on the second chance Rose mentioned, but she kept talking, so he set the thought aside for later.

And he wondered, because it sounded important - crucial - to Rose's life, who Jimmy was and why she sounded so very _small_ when she said his name. He didn't think he'd like it if he knew who this man was. He didn't have much time to think about it because she kept talking and he found that he didn't want to miss what she was saying.

He felt immensely confused by her statement of wanting to be the best her because, to him, she already was. She was _amazing_.

The rest of the conversation was quick and full of tears before, he assumed, they quit talking and comforted each other with hugs. He backed away from his position near the closed door and plopped himself back on the couch to watch tv - or sit and think, really.

Because the one thing he couldn't get out of his mind from that conversation was the way Rose sounded when she'd said "Jimmy." And her mum had said something, too… "Is this like Jimmy Stone again?" And the way Rose had flinched at those words, but said nothing in her defense, like she felt she deserved it grated harshly against him.

He popped into the TARDIS to move it into the Vortex so that he could do what he needed to do. He keyed in some things to find what he was looking for - Jimmy Stone, 2000-2005, Rose Tyler - and once the TARDIS had locked onto some coordinates, he threw the lever and felt his TARDIS move out of the Vortex.

When he popped his head out, he found himself in a darkly lit bar. It wasn't packed, but it was decently full, and most of the people were concentrated toward the front, where a band was playing - and not well. He wasn't sure who he was looking for, but he knew he'd recognize Rose when he saw her, so he looked around for her. It didn't take long to find her - she was standing behind the small stage, out of view by the tattered curtain, but swaying to the music enough that he caught sight of her. In what he knew was probably a bad idea, he walked toward her, catching up quickly. She was standing next to a brown haired girl her age - which was about fourteen or fifteen - who seemed to be pleading with her about… something. He moved behind them without them seeing him so he could listen in.

"-Rose, you need to come home," the girl begged. "Your mum misses you. Come back to school, please."

"Stop it, Shireen," Rose sounded tired, like she'd rather do what the girl suggested. "I'm not leaving him."

"Do you even see what he's doing?" The Doctor frowned at that. "He's turned you into a zombie."

"No he hasn't," Rose snapped, turning to look at her friend now instead of watching the band. "I'm fine." Now that she was turned to the side, the Doctor could see her face better. Specifically, her eyes, which were brown. Not that magical, flowing gold, but _brown_. And not just brown, but not nearly as alive as he was used to. His gut twisted at the thoughts swirling around in his large mind. Whatever was happening, one thing was clear - Rose was not okay.

 _ **Protect her!**_

The Doctor blinked, trying to push away the urge to mess with time, with Rose's timeline - the large and complex and beautiful thing that is was - and help her. It was much harder than it should've been, but he managed to focus again just as a man, maybe nineteen, walked off the stage and over to the pair of girls. He grabbed Rose roughly and kissed her thoroughly - too thorough for a public place. She didn't seem to respond to the kiss and he didn't seem to notice, or maybe care. When he was finished, his arm stayed wrapped around her a bit too tightly and his gaze fell on her friend.

"Hello," he said. The Doctor had watched many people flirt in his life, and he knew it when he saw it. This boy was flirting with Rose's friend after kissing her, while holding her, by just saying _hello_.

"Go to hell," Shireen spat, turning to Rose quickly. "You know where I am if you need me. Don't forget what I said." After she ran off, and out of the bar, the boy twisted around to look at Rose closer.

"What did she say?"

"Nothing," Rose said, her tone the same as when she'd said Jimmy - small, afraid. "She was just saying hello."

The Doctor watched as the boy, Jimmy, made himself bigger - puffing out his chest and standing a bit taller, though he already towered over the young girl - and raised his hand, not exactly in a threatening manner, but like a warning. The motion made the Doctor tense. "What did she say, Rose?" His voice was low, and his tone was as much of a warning as his hand.

Rose shrank in on herself, crossing her arms in front of herself in a protective manner, something that seemed automatic and familiar to her. "She said my mum misses me, she wants me to go back to school."

"Are you going to?" The Doctor blinked. The way he asked it, his tone, sounded like he asked the question regularly.

"No," she said quickly. "I belong by your side," she told him, her words stiff and practised. It was such a possessive sentence that the Doctor winced. Those were not her words.

His only answer was lowering his hand. He grabbed hers, which was balled into a fist probably out of anxiety or fear, and squeezed it open. The Doctor blinked when a small piece of paper fell from it and to the floor. Jimmy saw it also and frowned, picking it up quickly. He read it silently before looking back at her, furious. His hand was up before the Doctor realized and it quickly connected with Rose's cheek.

"We're going home," Jimmy said, a threat - or a promise - in his voice.

The Doctor let himself run - sprint - back to the TARDIS as the same urge came over him again.

 _ **Protect her!**_

 _ **Keep her safe!**_

Frantic, he took the TARDIS back to the Powell Estate in 2006 and sprinted again, this time to his Rose.

He didn't even stop to wonder when he'd started thinking of her as _his_ Rose.

He found her in the same flat, in the same room, standing up. He took in the sight of her safe and healthy and let himself breath for the first time since he'd watched a young Rose be hit by her boyfriend.

"Rose, can I talk to you?" he forced cheerfulness into his voice and began walking out of the flat without even checking to see if she was following.

He reached the roof of the building before he knew where he was going and started pacing. He could see her frowning at him and twisting her hands together in worry.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" she asked nervously.

"I have a question, and I need you to answer it honestly and completely," the Doctor told her, still feeling manic. She nodded slowly and he took a deep breath. "Who is Jimmy Stone?"

She stared at him, her eyes filling with panic. She bit her lip as she tried to find words to answer him. "Why?" was all that she could get out, even as she looked left to right as if trying to find a way out.

"I need to know, Rose," the Doctor demanded, that same urgency still in his voice.

"He's no one, he's just an ex," she tried, refusing to meet his eyes.

"That's not true and you know it," the Doctor snapped, making her recoil. He paused to calm himself down a bit and realized that she looked every bit like the young girl he'd just seen. Her hair was blonde now, and her eyes were like magic, but she looked scared, like a wounded animal. He swore he could feel the fear and anxiety radiating from her, so he calmed himself as best as he could and spoke in a calmer voice. "What happened, Rose?"

"Why do you need to know?" she asked, relaxing a little now that he wasn't snapping anymore. "He's not in my life anymore, I'm fine now." She paused before looking at him with a frown. "How do you even know that name?"

The Doctor paused. "Your mum mentioned it while she was insulting me."

Some gears were turning in Rose's head and he saw something click. "And you used the TARDIS to find him, didn't you?" She sighed and sat down, patting the space next to her. He sat there and nodded sheepishly. "Alright, what did you find?" She didn't seem angry with him, more… tired.

"It was a bar," he explained, trying and failing not to imagine the entire thing as he did. "You were watching him play, and your mate Shireen was trying to make you come home. He flirted with her and she told him to go to hell and-,"

"And he tried to hold my hand and read a paper, and hit me," Rose said, paling slightly. "Yeah, I remember that one a little."

"A little?" the Doctor frowned as Shireen's words came back to him. "'He's turning you into a zombie,' she'd said."

"Yeah."

"And?"

"Why does it matter?" Rose sighed, looking away and absentmindedly rubbing her thigh hard, like an old nervous tick. Her eyes flared with each movement, and the Doctor wanted to stop but he couldn't help himself. "I'm here now, I'm fine now. It's fine."

"It's not _fine_!" The Doctor stared at her. She looked so… tired talking about it. So broken, hopeless. "He _hit_ you, Rose."

"Yeah, thanks, I know that," she replied sharply. "I just… I can't talk about it right now. It's… too much."

The Doctor paused and imagined if someone tried to make him talk about the Time War, or the people he'd lost when he wasn't ready and abruptly realized what he was doing. "Just… tell me one thing?"

"What is it?" Rose asked warily.

"How long were you with him?"

She gave him a sad smile. "From my fifteenth birthday, till two months after I turned eighteen."

The Doctor felt his breath leave him. She'd been with him for three years? The urge to ask more questions was tampered by the pain on her face and he settled for wrapping his arm around her shoulder and planting a kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm fine now, Doctor."

The Doctor really doubted that considering how much obviously still affected and hurt her, but she was physically safe and even better, she was with him, where he could protect her.

 _ **Protect her!**_

He shook himself and looked back at his companion. "That's why your mum asked if it was like Jimmy Stone," he sighed. She nodded shortly. He could tell she was done with the subject, so he tentatively asked the question he'd been wondering. Her talk with her mum had comforted him some, but he needed to hear it. "So, are you gonna stay now?"

"No," Rose snorted. "There's too much to do. But I can't do that to her again."

"Well, she's not coming with us," the Doctor joked, and Rose grinned, laughing as he'd hoped she would.

"No chance."

He took a moment to wonder at how much he cared for this little human _so quickly_ and wondered why that was. "I don't do families." _Anymore._ "900 years of time and space and I refuse to become a home for domestics."

"When you say 900 years," Rose said, smiling at him. "Are you really?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod.

"There's so much I want to see, Doctor," Rose sighed, jumping to her feet. "Ever since I was little, I've always loved looking up at the stars, and now I can live in them," she laughed, grinning. "This is just brilliant. All the adventure, Doctor, running, I just love it."

As she said that, of course, a spaceship flew over their heads and raced for Big Ben, crashing into the river. The Doctor laughed, grinning at her.

"Well, there you go!"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"This is fantastic!" the Doctor laughed, looking at the frustrated people around him.

"Did you know this was going to happen?"

"Nope!"

"Do you recognize the ship?"

"Nope!"

"Do you know why it crashed?"

"Nope!"

"Do you wanna go find out?"

The Doctor looked at his excited companion and laughed. "This is what I travel for, Rose. To see history happening, right in front of us!"

"Probably can't use the TARDIS, right?" Rose wondered. "What about UNIT?"

"How do you know about UNIT?" The Doctor blinked at her before shaking his head. "Better not. Don't like guns."

"Okay," Rose shrugged. "Let's do what everybody else does, then."

At the Doctor's confused look, Rose laughed a little. "Watch it on tv."

And that is how they found themselves back in Jackie Tyler's flat, watching the tv as a state of national emergency was declared. She quickly memorized the alien helpline number - she had a feeling her mum wasn't going to do it this time.

There were still people gathered inside the flat, but Rose and the Doctor sat away from them while Jackie talked.

"Guess who asked me out?" Jackie said, addressing her daughter this time. "Billie Crout."

"Billie Cr- the butcher? Mum, you don't even like him!"

Jackie looked at her daughter oddly, like there was some sort of relief there, and smiled conspiratorially. "Yeah, but I get the best cuts."

Rose rolled her eyes, though she was smiling, and turned her attention back to the tv as they pulled a body out of the lake and took it to a UNIT mortuary in Albion hospital. She poked the Doctor's side. "Time to go to UNIT?"

The Doctor glanced at Rose as her eye caught something on the tv and she winced, though he couldn't tell what.

"Not yet."

In the end, it was a few hours before the Doctor poked Rose and stood, making his way out of the flat, her following. "I'm just gonna take a walk. It's a bit human in there for me," he told her.

"Spaceship in the Thames and you're just off on a jog," Rose rolled her eyes.

"Nothing to do with me," the Doctor denied. "That was a genuine crash landing. Angle of descent, smoke color, everything was perfect."

"Yeah," Rose looked thoughtful. "Perfect. Absolutely, it even hit Big Ben."

"What's your point?" the Doctor frowned.

"I dunno," she said. "Just seems… too perfect."

"This could be your first contact with an alien race," the Doctor said, though he didn't disagree with what she'd said. "You have to do this on your own. You don't need me, go and spend time with your mum. Celebrate history."

As he started to walk away, she took a step forward. "Promise you won't disappear?" She sounded vulnerable again, and he stopped walking away. He shuffled through his pockets and handed her a key.

"TARDIS key," he told her. "But I promise, I won't leave you here." He dropped it in her hand and grinned at her. "See you later."

And he walked away, not seeing her shaking her head fondly and staring at the key in her hand.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"They've taken this animal and turned it into a joke," the Doctor told Toshiko in disgust, staring at the dead mermaid in front of him.

"So it's a fake," she surmised. "A pretend. Like the mermaid… but the technology augmenting its brain, it's like nothing on earth. It's alien. Aliens are… faking aliens."

The Doctor left the room, having everything he needed. She was right - and brilliant, he liked Toshiko Sato - and he had things to do.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose was walking around Cardiff, trying to get some air before the Doctor returned and avoiding the moment when Mickey found out she was back. She told her mum she didn't want to see him and left it at that, and found herself walking near the rift, her mind on the girl that had died for her - because in the end, it was for her. She wished she'd been able to say a proper goodbye, and to thank her better, but she'd been limited on time and the Doctor was too close. Not to mention the whole passing out thing.

A knife slicing into her shoulder shook her out of her thoughts, and she whipped around, hitting the person in the gut and grabbing their arm, twisting it painfully. They countered and got out of her hold, cutting into her upper arm twice, only to grab the back of her neck and pull it back, gripping her neck and choking her at the same time. He managed to hold her like that for about a minute and just before she was going to pass out, was thrown to the ground. She wasn't sure what she expected next, but she knew it wasn't anything pleasant - but it never came. She opened her eyes, which had been squeezed shut, to find a man standing above her, offering her his hand, and another behind him, on the ground. She blinked a few times to get the spots out of her eyes, still unsteady from being choked, but it only took a moment before she recognized the man above her and scrambled to her feet.

"Jack!" She threw her arms around him, settling her face in the crook of his neck and taking a deep breath in, contentment washing over her. "Oh my god, Jack."

"Hey, Rosie," he said, his voice dark and full of worry. He pulled out of the hug and grabbed her face gently, checking her over. He moved one of his hands to touch her neck softly, making her wince in pain. "Let's get you inside - I've got some first aid in there."

Rose ignored him and threw her arms around him again, feeling suddenly hysterical. "I missed you."

"I know," he said quietly. His head turned to the side as a man appeared on the sidewalk, out of nowhere, and waved him over. "Ianto, take that man," he nodded at the man on the ground, his arms wrapped around Rose, trying to comfort her. "To the cells. Put him next to a Weevil."

Ianto nodded, no expression on his face but his own eyes dark as well as he grabbed the man and dragged him over to the sidewalk. Rose snorted at that - he looked plenty strong enough to pick the guy up, he just didn't want to.

Jack gently pulled out of the hug, though he kept his arm wrapped tightly around Rose. "Let's get inside."

"I have to get home," Rose shook her head. "I can't take that long."

"We can use my vortex manipulator to take you back at the right time," Jack promised. "Just don't tell the Doctor."

"I thought he wouldn't let you use it," Rose frowned.

Jack shook his head. "Spoilers."

Rose's eyes widened significantly, thinking of River Song, who'd said the same thing. "Do you-,"

"C'mon," Jack nudged her toward the pier. "We need to clean up those cuts."

"What cuts?" Rose asked, startled. She looked down at herself for the first time and saw a few cuts on her arms and one on her chest. "Oh." She didn't even feel the pain. At that, she let Jack pull her through a small building and into what she realize was the inside of the monument outside. There was even some water flowing inside. She looked around in wonder and laughed loudly when she saw a Pterodactyl flying around.

"Welcome to Torchwood, Rosie," Jack smiled at her and she sucked in a deep breath.

"Torchwood? Jack," she paused as she realized it hadn't happened yet. He wouldn't really know. "Jack, you can't."

"It's not like Torchwood London," he assured her quickly. "I run things here. It's different."

"How do you know about that?" Rose frowned.

"You told me," Jack shrugged as he lead her to Owen to get her fixed up. "You told me everything. Apparently, I set up your first date with the Doctor."

Rose laughed, startled at the words. "I- I guess you did. How'd you know I was up there?"

"You told me you'd need my help tonight, and to keep an eye on the cameras," he explained, pulling out a blue journal. "I wrote down everything you told me so that I wouldn't forget."

He guided her to a table and had her sit down as he explained the situation to Owen, who shrugged at him. "It's been awhile since I've worked on anything living, but what the hell?"

Rose laughed. "What do you normally do here?"

"Mostly autopsies," he answered as he put on a pair of gloves.

She looked at Jack for more of an explanation.

"We take care of alien threats to the world, mostly. Find things that fall through the rift, that sort of thing," he told her. "Sometimes people die."

Rose felt Owen pull something out of the back of her shoulder and winced harshly, whipping her head to see what it was and groaning at the sight. It was the TARDIS key. It must have gotten turned around on the chain that was holding it on her neck and she'd fallen on it and not realized it. "I need that," she said quickly, as Owen tried to throw it in the pile of bits he was collecting from her skin. He dropped it in her hand and moved on as Jack got her attention again, and she grinned, ignoring the stinging pain as Owen disinfected the deep cut in her shoulder. "I missed you, Jack."

"How long has it been for you?"

Rose bit her lip, thinking. "Technically, it's only been a few days, but that's you from far in the future, and you're a bit… different. Since I saw this you," she shrugged. "Four years? Maybe longer?"

"Rosie," he whispered, his eyes sad. He kissed her cheek hard, unable to pull her into another hug while Owen finished cleaning her up. "It's not been that long for me," he said honestly. "Maybe a few weeks? You stop by pretty often, check up on me. Help out when you can."

"So this works?" Rose's eyes widened. "Canary Wharf doesn't-,"

"You haven't reached it yet," he told her apologetically. "After the Game Station, you came to find me, but I've got this lot to take care of, so you come when I call or when you need to visit."

"All done," Owen interrupted, pulling his gloves off. "I can't do anything for the bruising around your neck except suggest ice. And the cuts on your arms and chest will heal, but your shoulder will scar."

"I didn't even notice the cuts.," Rose sighed deeply. "How do I explain this to the Doctor? He won't let me out of his sight long enough to go in the room with the other alien specialists."

"Yes, he will," Jack said. "Just remind him that it's over already and say something like, 'I can't get into any trouble here.'"

"There's- Jack, there's four Slitheen in there trying to blow up the planet!"

"Yeah, but he doesn't know that," Jack laughed, and she grinned. He was right, after all.

"Jack, can I borrow you for a second?" Owen asked, sounding rather… polite. Rose got the feeling he wasn't the polite sort. Jack looked between her and the doctor and nodded. The pair left the room, but didn't move far enough before Owen started talking.

"Who the hell was that? Because that woman is _not_ Rose Tyler."

And then she couldn't hear anymore, and she was left to wonder on their conversation.

She felt rather lost as she waited for Jack to get back, looking around at the clean, white room. It looked like it doubled as a small morgue and she wondered just how often it was used. It was only a minute before Jack walked back in the room, holding his hand out to her.

"We'll handle the guy that attacked you," he said, a dark tone to his voice. She didn't want to know what that meant. "But you need to get back. You've got a lot of running to do tonight, Rosie."

"I don't want to," she admitted. "Not yet. I miss you."

"You'll be seeing me soon. How long until the Blitz?"

Rose thought about it for a moment before she could answer. "Not long. I'm not sure about seeing my dad, so that'd make it even sooner."

"See him," Jack said, rubbing her arm gently. "Nobody should die alone."

Rose didn't answer as a thought occurred to her. "Jack, I can't go home like this."

"I know they'll worry about you, but you have to find the Doctor," Jack tried, frowning down at his best friend.

"No, you don't understand," she breathed out hard, frustrated with the topic coming up for the third time that day. "If my mum sees me like this, she's gonna think Jimmy got to me."

Jack paused, recognizing the name. She wasn't surprised - she'd told him about the ex the last time after he'd woken her up from a nightmare. He'd spent the night in her bed holding her and reading to her until she fell back asleep, waking her up again anytime he felt a nightmare coming.

The silence was broken by Ianto, who approached them nervously. "And that's… Jimmy Stone?"

"How did you know that?"

Ianto paused, looking at Jack uncertainly. The man waved him on and he took a deep breath in.

"Because that's who we've got in our cells."

Rose froze. Being attacked by a random person didn't scare her, and dying didn't really scare her, either. She wasn't sure if anything did, anymore, aside from Jimmy. She was still completely afraid of him. He was in her nightmares every night, and haunted her life, even amongst the stars. She often caught herself jumping if the Doctor got frustrated and threw something, or spoke too loud too suddenly, and while he'd eventually caught onto these behaviors, these leftover fears, he hadn't yet - they'd only just started.

Her whole world was still full of fearing him.

And he'd almost had her again.

"-breathe!" she heard Jack saying, stroking her arm gently. She tried to do as he said and found it even harder, like air was only being sucked out and not enough going in - which was, technically, what was happening. "Rose, it's okay, you're okay. You're safe. He's not going to hurt you again."

"I didn't even realize it was him," she gasped, trying to slow down her breathing. It was working, slowly, and she took a final deep breath once she was calm. "I didn't even see his face. I should've known it was him. I just forgot- I forgot that's why I was with Mickey, why I never went anywhere alone. Being with the Doctor made me feel so safe, I forgot to be afraid."

"That's _good_ , Rose," Jack sighed. He wouldn't let her progress be washed away.

She was quiet for a moment before she looked up at him, determined. "I want to see him."

"No," Jack said immediately.

"He's locked up, isn't he?"

"Rosie, he attacked you. He almost killed you!"

"But he's locked up," she repeated. "Besides, you'll be right there in case anything happens. But I have to do this. I've been… Jack, you know what he did. I need some closure, I need _something_."

The man hesitated, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "Fine. But I stay right next to you, and he stays with me after to _take care of_."

Rose winced at the idea his tone gave her of what he'd do but ignored it and nodded. Ianto, having left after giving out the name, had returned with a cup of coffee for Rose and led them down to the cells after Jack told him of the plan.

When they were standing in front of Jimmy's cell, Jack spoke before anyone else could.

"I have three guns on me and will not use them to kill, but rather cause extreme pain," he informed the man. "If you so much as make her cry, I will use them."

"Where the hell am I?" Jimmy yelled, and Rose winced, taking a small step back. "Let me out of here!"

Jack reached to his side for a gun, apparently deciding a wince was as bad as crying, but Rose put her hand on his.

"How did you find me, Jimmy?" She spoke quietly, and her voice wasn't shaking but she sounded scared and small.

"Your mum called the entire estate telling them you were back," he answered willingly, his voice cocky. "I overheard someone at the store talking about you, and she'd mentioned that you'd left her to take a walk, so I came to find you." He eyed the bruises around her throat and grinned. "We have… unfinished business, Rose."

"You mean, you couldn't kill me last time so you wanted to finish it this time," Rose's stomach twisted painfully at the confirming look he gave her. "Why? Why have you always had such an… obsession with me? You wouldn't let me go, and now this? I don't understand, Jimmy."

"You were supposed to be mine," he snapped, stepping forward in the cell, which made her step back and hit the cell behind her - filled with a Weevil, who snarled viciously. Jack grabbed her arm and pulled her to his side swiftly, kissing her head. "Instead you're a whore - you even found yourself another man to fuck." He waved at Jack, who glared harshly.

Her breathing started to quicken at the familiar words. Memories of him stalking her once she'd left, breaking into her house and attacking her, calling her a whore for being with Mickey. "Stop."

"Is that why you went missing? I told everyone, you probably just became a hooker, went around fucking everyone you could," he hissed, and she wrapped her arms around herself. "Or are they disgusted by those _scars_? I told you, Rose, you fucked up your life with those. I told you everyone would be disgusted by you, but you wouldn't stop! I was your only chance for a regular life and you threw it away to be a street slut."

Jack nodded Ianto over to grab Rose and pull her out of there as she broke down into tears, falling to the floor as soon as they cleared the room, leaving them in a hallway. Jack followed them out and sat next to his friend, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Rose," Jack started cautiously once she'd calmed down again. "What did he mean? What did you do?"

She didn't look up, and he got the distinct feeling she didn't want to be seen in so much pain. He understood that all too well. "When… when I was more coherent, and toward the end, in maybe the last year, I understood just how stuck I was," she started. Her hand went to her leg and she absently rubbed it hard. "I was depressed, Jack. And I- I just wanted to die. I tried…" she took a deep, shuddering breath as dread filled him, understanding flooding him. "I tried to kill myself. It was very sudden. I just looked at a knife while I was making us dinner and thought, you know, I could get away from him, from the drugs, all of it. And it didn't work, I couldn't get myself to push it in very far at all, but I kept… I kept doing it, even though I knew it wouldn't kill me. It was… something. I felt something _new_. It all scarred pretty bad… it was still there even the last day in Pete's World. But it was like an escape. And he didn't care, he just told me, you know… no one would ever want me anymore, and that I'd ruined myself."

"I'm so sorry, Rosie," Jack pulled her into another hug, but she didn't cry or shake or anything - she was calm, and that worried him, but he didn't have time to think about it, because she was soon standing and moving away from the small prison.

"I should get back. I'll call the Doctor and ask him to meet me outside, that way you guys can keep an eye on me," she told him, thinking about his protective streak. "And then while I'm calming him down, you call the alien hotline and get us arrested."

"Rose-,"

"No, Jack," she said firmly. "There's more to do tonight."

"Can I take care of him?"

It sounded like a simple question but Rose shrugged, looking suddenly drained. "I just- I don't care, Jack. I just never want to see him again."

He nodded at her and they made their way to the exit of Torchwood that came out on the street, but Rose stopped him, a thought occurring to her. "Jack, can we make a quick trip to the store? I wanna buy foundation to cover this up," she waved at her neck.

"Sure," Jack nodded. "I'll send Ianto. Just give him your brand and he'll find you something."

"Thanks," she smiled softly, sitting on the couch in front of the rift manipulator. Jack sat next to her after giving Ianto the information he needed and wrapped an arm around her, letting her head fall onto his shoulder.

"Oh, and we found your jacket," he told her. She'd been carrying it when she was attacked, and it was thrown a few feet away from them. "Can't imagine you without it."

"Yeah?" She managed to girn. "It's new, but I do think I rather like it."

They got to sit and talk for about twenty minutes before Ianto returned with the makeup and a brush for her to put it on. She had to cover her face as well, but after a half hour, she'd finished. She had only been gone for about an hour and a half in total, so they didn't feel the need to use the vortex manipulator, since nothing would've happened yet, anyway.

Jack took her outside and stood on the step so that they wouldn't notice him and watched - he'd refused to be farther away from her, just in case.

Rose had put her jacket back on - which covered the bandages beautifully, but rubbed painfully against her injuries as well - and called the Doctor. Not five minutes later, the TARDIS appeared, and the man ran out to find her.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, looking her over carefully. She took in a deep breath as he assessed her wellness and, when he seemed satisfied, she shrugged.

"It's a little too human in there," she joked. "So, where'd you swan off to?"

"I went to have a look," he admitted sheepishly. "But you were right! The crash landing was a fake. Too perfect. Hitting Big Ben? Come on."

"I told you!" She laughed, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Jack leaving, apparently pleased with her safety. She followed the Doctor into the TARDIS and sat on the seat. She knew they'd be there for the Doctor soon - she just had to wait. "That was a real spaceship."

"Yep!"

"So it's all a pack of lies," she grinned. "Are they invading? But that's weird though, cause they've put the world on red alert."

"Good point," the Doctor nodded. "So, what're they up to?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose pulled open the cupboard before she let herself think about it and jumped back as a body fell out.

"Harriet this has gone beyond a joke! You cannot just wander around- that's the Prime Minister," Ganesh gasped.

Rose sighed. It was going to be a long night.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Let me kiss you better," Blon cooed as Rose pulled Ganesh - who she'd narrowly saved - behind the curtain with her. "Let me kiss you with my big, green lips."

Rose sucked in a breath as Ganesh grabbed her shoulder, squeezing the cut from the TARDIS key. She slapped his hand away, her shoulder throbbing in pain. The door opened, and she knew two more had walked in.

"My brothers," Blon cooed.

"Happy hunting?" One replied.

"It's wonderful," she laughed. "The more you prolong it, the more they stink."

"Sweat and fear!"

"I can smell the old girl. Stale perfume, and brittle bones."

"A man, hormones and fear and adrenaline."

"A ripe youngster, curiously calm… she smells like Time. No matter. She's fresh enough to bend before she snaps," Blon said, pushing the curtain back and doing the same as Ganesh - hitting her bad shoulder, though not too hard.

"No!" Harriet screamed, jumping into view. "Take me first! Take me!"

The Doctor and his impeccable timing ran into the room at that moment with a fire extinguisher, grinning like a madman - like he hadn't just had someone try to stop his hearts. He sprayed the aliens and looked at the small group. "All of you, with me!"

Rose brought the curtains down on Blon and grabbed Ganesh's hand, pulling him along behind her as the four of them, now including the Doctor, ran to the front of the room.

"Who the hell are you?" the Doctor asked, looking between Harriet and Ganesh.

"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North," she replied quickly, flashing her ID.

"Nice to meet you," the Doctor said.

"Likewise."

"Indra Ganesh," the man said, looking between Rose and the Doctor as Rose grabbed onto his arm and relaxed.

"Hello, Indra."

"Hello."

The Doctor sprayed the Slitheen once more before the four of them made their way out of the room, running fast. "We need to get to the cabinet rooms!"

"The emergency protocols are in there," Harriet replied, chasing after him. "They give instructions for aliens."

"Harriet Jones, I like you."

"I think I like you, too."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Any terminals or anything?"

"This place is antique," Rose sighed. "But what I don't get is, when they killed the Prime Minister, they didn't use him as a disguise. Was he too… small? Do they have to be bigger? Cause the Slitheen, they're pretty big."

"Right on point, Rose," the Doctor grinned. "They use a compression field. It literally shrinks them down a bit. That's why there's all that gas, it's a big exchange."

Rose nodded, wincing slightly in pain. The meds she'd gotten had worn off, it seemed, and she could feel everything a bit too much now. The Doctor glanced at her in worry, but she waved him off. She'd need to be careful lifting her left arm, since her shoulder was so irritated. Her Doctor turned back to Harriet and addressed her.

"Harriet Jones. I've heard that name before… Harriet Jones. You're not famous for anything, are you?"

"Oh! Hardly," she laughed before turning back to what she was doing.

"Rings a bell… Harriet Jones."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"They found us."

Rose felt her heart race even though she knew they'd be okay.

"Mickey, I need that signal."

"Get out, just leave," Rose yelled at the phone, knowing it would do no good.

"We can't," Mickey answered her. "It's by the door."

Rose bit her lip and looked at the Doctor. Ganesh looked mostly confused and frightened, and hadn't honestly been very helpful since they'd escaped.

"Oh god," Mickey moaned. "It's unmasking. It's gonna kill us."

"There's got to be some way of stopping them!" Harriet yelled, waving her arms. "You're supposed to be the expert. Think of something!"

"We have to figure out where they're from, don't we?" Rose asked. She wasn't gonna wait - this was her mum and Mickey they were talking about. "Okay… they're green, they've got a good sense of smell, they can smell adrenaline, there's that pig technology, you said… slip stream engine, ritualistic hunting, and their farts smell like bad breath!"

The Doctor didn't bat an eye at her franticly listing off facts but rather took it all in and thought about it. "Calcium decay! _That_ narrows it down!"

"We're getting there, mum," Rose yelled.

"Too late!" Was the only reply from Mickey, and Rose tried to remind herself that they'd be okay - she knew they would be.

The Doctor was listing off things to do with calcium as he figured it out. "What else? What else? Hyphenated surname… yes! That narrows it down to one planet! Raxacoricofallapatorius!"

"Oh, yeah, great, we can write them a letter!"

Rose laughed, calming down a little now that they were almost out of danger.

"Get into the kitchen," the Doctor instructed. They could hear the door breaking and Mickey breathing heavily as they followed the Doctor's instructions.

"Oh my god, it's going to rip us apart!"

"Calcium weakened by the compression field. Acetic acid! Vinegar!"

"Just like Hannibal!" Harriet gasped.

"Just like Hannibal," the Doctor confirmed. "Mickey, have you got any vinegar?"

"How should I know?"

"It's your kitchen!" And really, it was a rather stupid question.

"Cupboard by the sink, middle shelf," Rose recalled. Her mum grabbed the phone from Mickey and did as they said, pouring anything with vinegar into a pitcher. And there were quite a few things with vinegar.

"You kiss this man?" the Doctor glanced at Rose in disgust. She shook her head, similarly disgusted. She wasn't sure how she ever had.

"Not anymore I don't."

After a few tense moments, they heard the sound of the Slitheen exploding, and the four of them relaxed, though Ganesh hadn't done anything to help.

"Hannibal?" Rose asked. "Isn't he the guy who crossed the alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar?"

"The very same."

"Well, there you go, then," Rose said, raising her glass for a toast. She hissed in pain, having momentarily forgotten the injury in the adrenalin filled moments, and the Doctor glanced at her again before walking around the table to her.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You looked like you're in pain," he said, obviously not believing her frankly horrible lie. "Earlier, too."

"Nah, I'm fine."

"Rose, if you were hurt-,"

"I said I'm fine," she snapped. "Can you just leave it?"

The Doctor stared at her for a long moment before nodding and stepping away, leaving her feeling worse than before.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"They want the whole world panicking, cause you lot, you get scared, you lash out," the Doctor said, his eyes slipping to his young companion. He wasn't sure what was going on with her, but something had happened, and she wasn't okay, but he couldn't do anything if she wouldn't tell him. He shook the thought off. He'd figure it out when this was dealt with.

"They release the defense codes," Rose continued, pulling her jacket tighter around her. The Doctor wasn't sure why she was still wearing it - it was hot in the cabinet room, even for him.

"And the Slitheen go nuclear," he finished, approaching the metal door that had fallen.

"But why?" Ganesh asked. The Doctor had long ago decided he didn't like the man - he hadn't done anything except sit and pout and panic.

The Doctor opened the doors, revealing three of the green aliens behind it. "You get the codes, release the missiles. But not into space, because there's nothing there. You attack every other country on earth, and they retaliate, fight back. World War Three. Whole planet gets nuked."

"And we sit through it, safe in our spaceship waiting in the Thames. Not crashed. Just parked. Barely two minutes away."

"But you'll destroy the planet," Harriet's eyes were wide. "This beautiful place. What for?"

"Profit. That's what the signal is, beaming into space. An advert."

"The sale of the century," Blon gloated. "We reduce the earth to molten slag, then sell it. Piece by piece. Radioactive chunks, capable of powering every cut-price starliner and budget cargo ship. There's a recession out there, Doctor. People are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel."

"At the cost of five billion lives," the Doctor's eyes were dark and he felt a sort of rage he hadn't felt since before he ended the Time War. He remembered then, when entire realities would be erased just to destroy a single planet that held a single enemy.

Blon chuckled. "Bargain."

"I give you a choice. Leave this planet, or I'll stop you."

They started laughing.

"What? You? Trapped in your box."

The Doctor's eyes flashed, glaring at her. "Yes. Me."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"There's a way out."

"What?" Rose said, turning back to him. He sighed, everything in him telling him not to say it, not to do it.

 _ **Protect her!**_

"There's always been a way out."

"Then why don't we use it?" she asked, stepping over to him. She grabbed his hand, but he shook it off and walked over to the phone.

"Because I can't guarantee your daughter will be safe," he told Jackie.

"Don't you dare!" Jackie exclaimed. "Whatever it is, don't you dare!"

The Doctor wanted to do what she said, to do something else, anything else that didn't involve putting Rose in danger.

"That's the thing. If I don't dare, everyone dies."

"Do it," Rose said firmly, trust shining on her face.

"You don't even know what it is, you'd just let me?"

"I trust you, Doctor. And I am not worth the world."

He wasn't as sure of that anymore, and that scared him.

"Please, Doctor, please," Jackie begged. "She's my daughter. She's just a kid."

"Mum, stop," Rose sighed. "Don't you remember what I said? He does what's right. And this is what's right."

"She's right," the Doctor sighed.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Rose asked simply. Like risking her life, possibly killing her was an easy thing to do.

"I could save the world but lose you."

He wondered how she didn't understand that that was his problem. He wondered if she even realized at all how much he'd grown to care for her so quickly.

"Except it's not your decision, Doctor," Harriet interrupted. "It's mine."

"And who the hell are you?" Jackie demanded.

"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North," the woman answered. "The only elected representative in this room, chosen for the people, by the people. And on behalf of the people, I command you. Do it."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Mickey the idiot," the Doctor said, taking a deep breath. "The world is in your hands. Fire."

And he did.

"How solid are these?" Harriet asked, moving over to the metal on the windows. The Doctor shook his head.

"Not solid enough. Built for short range attack - nothing this big."

"Alright, now I'm making the decision," Rose said firmly. "We're not gonna die. We're gonna right this out." She was walking over to the closet that held the Prime Minister's body and the Doctor frowned. "It's like what they say about earthquakes. You can survive them by standing under a doorframe. Now this cupboard is small, so it's strong. Come help me, come on!"

The Doctor, Harriet, and Ganesh all made their way over and helped her move things out of the cupboard, including the body of the deceased leader. They fit themselves in tightly, Rose tucked next to the Doctor, who wrapped an arm around her gently, definitely not missing the hint of pain on her face. If they lived - which he thought they would, now that his brilliant companion had found a way - he'd be figuring out what that was about.

"Nice knowing you all," Harriet said. She grabbed one of Ganesh's hands and one of Rose's. "Hannibal!"

And then it hit.

They were thrown about as the house collapsed, and he heard a short scream from Rose as she collided with the wall behind her as it hit the ground, their quick tumble ending. He crawled over to her to make sure she was okay and was startled to see blood coming from her shoulder, leaking up to her neck because of the position she was in. He moved to look at her face and brushed away some of the dust and things, unknowingly brushing off makeup that had become unsettled by sweat. His hearts clenched at the sight of bruises on her throat, and he took a long, deep breath as his companion roused from her unconscious state - something he assumed came from hitting her head too hard. Once he calmed himself enough to hold back the questions for the moment, he helped pull her out of the wreckage, finding Ganesh and Harriet outside already, Harriet giving orders. She turned to them and looked them over, gasping at the sight of Rose.

"Your neck!" She moved over quickly to the girl, who was standing firmly on her own feet now. "What happened? Surely that isn't from the fall."

It might've been the dust, but the Doctor was sure he saw Rose pale significantly. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

"Oh lord," Harriet gasped. "We don't even have a Prime Minister!"

The Doctor finally realized where he recognized her from. "Maybe you should have a go."

"Me?" She laughed. "I'm only a backbencher."

Rose smiled kindly at her, though the Doctor could still see the anxiety written all over her. He needed to get them out of there fast, so he could help her. "I'd vote for you."

"Now don't be silly," Harriet replied, though she seemed to be considering it. "Look, I'd better go and see if I can help."

With that, the woman rushed off, toward the general who was talking to Ganesh. The Doctor turned to Rose and looked down at her darkly.

"We need to talk."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The taxi ride back to the TARDIS - still standing in front of Torchwood - was a tense one. Rose paid the driver extra for the dust they'd left from their clothes and followed the Doctor, who hadn't said a word to her. They entered the TARDIS, and she moved to sit on the seat in the console room, but he waved her into the hall. She frowned at him but followed. They stopped in the same white, medical room that Rose had woken up in so recently, and she sighed. It was too late to lie. She just wanted it over with.

"Sit," he demanded. She did as he said and sat on what she'd come to know at the examining table. "Take your jacket and shirt off," he added firmly, and she sighed. She didn't mind - she would keep her bra on, considering there was nothing wrong with anything under there. Besides, they'd been in - or would be in - situations with much less clothing involved, like when the Doctor let Jack pick where they went and they landed on a nude planet and got arrested immediately for landing in the Prince's chambers… on his wedding night.

She did as he said, and let him come over to her with wipes to take off the makeup on her neck, and wiped the blood off of her neck. He was incredibly gentle and didn't mind taking longer so that he wouldn't hurt her. When he was finished, he took a step back and looked at her injuries.

"Rose…"

"There were things to do," she shrugged, answering the unasked question. "Someone stitched me up and gave me some pain meds - I was fine."

"Until you weren't," he snapped. "You busted your stitches just using your arm at all. If you'd come to me, I could've closed these up completely. So, why didn't you?"

She shrugged, not sure how to tell him that her psychotic ex had tried to murder her.

"Who did this to you?"

"It doesn't matter," she told him. "They're taken care of."

"What does that _mean_?"

"I have a friend, he saw it happening and saved me. He works with the… people who handle… weird things. It doesn't matter. It's taken care of."

The Doctor obviously didn't believe her, but he didn't answer as he grabbed the dermal regenerator and changed the settings. He worked on her arms and the cut on her chest first before moving behind her and looking at her shoulder. He winced at the sight. "This one's really deep. What happened?"

"I fell," she answered this question willingly. "And my key twisted around on the chain. It got shoved into my shoulder."

The Doctor winced at the mental image but said nothing, repairing it as best as he could. "This is all healed, but it'll be tight and I can't do anything about the scarring for now."

"Thank you." Rose said, reaching for the fresh shirt the TARDIS had provided. It was an old band shirt, but it was soft and warm, like it had just been in the dryer. She sent her thanks to the ship, which responded with a disapproving hum that she could only guess was meant for her unwillingness to tell the Doctor what had happened. With a deep sigh, she put the shirt on and patted the spot next to her on the bed.

"Before I tell you anything, keep in mind that you can't change it and he's already… taken care of."

"What does that mean?"

Rose shrugged. "I don't really know, but he said if he made me cry, he'd shoot him, so I'm guessing he's been shot."

"Who is _he_?" the Doctor asked, confused.

"I'm getting ahead of myself," Rose shook her head, thinking back to the beginning of the night. "I was just taking a walk - a long one. It was really too… much to be around all those people. And apparently my mum has been calling everyone on the estate, and… and Jimmy found out I was back."

The Doctor's eyes darkened as pieces began to fall into place.

"He found me, and he had a knife. He tried to choke me, I guess he'd almost killed me when my friend found us. He and a friend of his knocked Jimmy out and took me inside. They had a doctor, and he patched me up as best as he could."

"That's it?"

Rose paused, considering whether or not she needed to tell him about her conversation with the ex. The Doctor caught her hesitation, though, and she didn't have much choice. "They put him in a… room, a cell, I guess. I talked to him, and he just… said some things." She tried to push away the words, the memories, but they were too clear in her mind.

"What did he say, Rose?" the Doctor asked, his voice low. She shrugged.

"The usual. Called me a whore, said no one would ever want me and that we had 'unfinished business,'" she wrapped her arms around herself as she spoke, her tone suggesting it was nothing but her body language telling the Doctor something else entirely.

"That's all he said?"

"Yeah, basically," Rose sighed. "I really don't wanna… go into specifics right now."

"I asked you about him today," the Doctor said slowly. "And I dropped it because you said that you were safe, and away from him."

"He can't get to me now," Rose promised. The Doctor doubted that, but she continued. "This friend… he'd rather die than see me hurt. Jimmy won't bother me again."

"Who is this friend?" the Doctor looked frustrated, and she didn't blame him, but she couldn't tell him.

"I- I can't tell you," she winced. "But you're gonna meet him someday, I'm sure of it."

"Rose," the Doctor sighed, rubbing his face. "What did he do to you?"

"Doctor," Rose looked him in the eyes, getting irritated. "What he did to me was awful, and it is one of the worst parts of my life. But you can't make me tell you about it - about him. I'm sure it'll happen someday, but I'm tired and in pain and I'm just… I'm so exhausted."

He got the feeling she didn't mean physically exhausted. She was right. He shouldn't make her tell him - that's not the way he wanted to find out anything about her. With a sigh, he nodded. "I'm sorry."

"I know you worry," she said. "And I know tonight couldn't have helped. But I had my life decided for me for too long. I won't do it anymore. I promise I will tell you, but when I feel up to it, and definitely not on one of the worst nights of my life." She sighed. "I realized something earlier, after seeing him... I'm not sure I'm afraid of anything anymore, except for him."

The Doctor's hearts squeezed at that sentence, and he gathered her in his arms, an unspoken promise there.

 _I will protect you._

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	7. Jimmy Stone

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** **I highly suggest skipping this chapter if you're sensitive to trigger warnings. This is very in-depth about Rose's days with Jimmy. I wanted to get this out of the way so that we could move on, though the situation - her time with Jimmy - will come up every once in a while as the Doctor helps her heal.**

 **Something I've not really noted before (which I apologize for - I've only recently reassessed my plans for this fic and really decided on things) is that this will focus quite a bit on Rose and the Doctor healing each other. Rose, from Jimmy, and the Doctor, from the Time War mostly, but also his many guilt complexes and the sort.**

 **I didn't originally mean for this to be a darker fic, but I'm letting it go where it goes. I hope no one minds that, and I will continue to put trigger warnings at the beginning of chapters that require them, and I will try to be more in depth about them.**

 **TRIGGER WARNINGS: drug abuse, mental and physical domestic abuse (including: controlling behaviors, hitting/choking, belittling, blaming, generally everything else on this list) attempted murder, attempted suicide, self-harm (specifically, cutting), sexual assault, cheating.**

 **I think that's all of them, and if my beta and I both miss any, let me know and I'll apologize and make sure to add it.**

 **ALSO - the rest of my story will contain the aftermath of abuse, close up as Rose heals. It can be hard to look at sometimes and I honestly am not sure how much of it I'll include as it might be pretty hard to write out.**

 **On that note, I hope you enjoy this chapter and get ready for something extra special in the next one, which will be posted with this chapter for anyone who can't handle reading this one.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **Jimmy Stone**

The Doctor sat in his study, thinking over the events of the day.

Once he'd fixed Rose up, she'd reapplied the makeup so that they could go say goodbye to her mother and Mickey. She'd returned with a few things, some pictures, a pair of shoes, and a bracelet that looked older than her.

There was a lot to sort through, and he would go through all of it slowly, but the first thing that kept coming to his mind was her eyes when he'd gone to see her and Jimmy.

Which made him wonder if he'd ever asked her about them at all.

He made a list of all the things that were troubling him about the day, and her eyes were at the top of it.

With that done, the Doctor made for bed, feeling like he could use a couple hours after the long day. He frowned as he saw his door next to Rose's and wandered over to it. He hesitated as he reached for the handle, but he turned it and felt the door open. He wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but he knew the TARDIS wouldn't have put their rooms together if it wasn't important. He stepped into her room and was startled to hear a whimper from the girl, who'd curled herself into a ball on the bed. The Doctor rushed over and sat gently on the bed, trying not to abruptly wake her. He touched her head, hoping to stroke her hair until she calmed, but her arms whipped up, swinging at him. He retracted his hand quickly as her arms settled again on her head in a protective manner.

"Rose," he said quietly, deciding it best not to touch her as she whimpered again. He could see her shaking, and he wondered why it hadn't occurred to him that she might have nightmares after the day she'd had. "Rose, wake up." She didn't respond, and he spoke a little louder. "Rose," he tried again, apparently too loud, because this time, she woke up and, seeing him on the edge of her bed, flung herself as far away as she could. Before she could fall off the bed and hurt herself, the Doctor said her name again. "Rose, it's the Doctor."

She froze, and he could tell she was beginning to understand what was happening. "Doctor."

"It's okay," he told her gently, reaching out so she could touch his hand, which she did, hesitantly. "You're in the TARDIS. All safe."

Rose was quiet for a few moments before she spoke again, staring at their intertwined fingers. "Did I wake you?"

"What?" the Doctor frowned. "No. The TARDIS put our rooms together, and your door was unlocked. I was checking on you."

"Oh." She took her hand back and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. "I'm sorry. I was hoping you wouldn't hear."

The Doctor frowned at her. "Do you have nightmares often?"

She shrugged lightly but otherwise didn't respond.

The Doctor thought for a moment before an idea popped into his head. "How about I stay with you tonight? I don't feel like sleeping, anyway." He wasn't desperate for sleep, after all.

Rose hesitated. "I'll be fine."

"You had a long day, Rose," the Doctor told her. "You need rest, and you can't do that if you're having nightmares."

She sighed and nodded slightly.

"Good," he grinned, though she couldn't see it in the dark. "Are you ready to go back to sleep?"

"Yeah," she answered, crawling back under the blanket. He moved into the bed with her and she threw the blanket over him as well, surprising him.

"Goodnight, Rose."

"Goodnight, Doctor." And then, a moment later. "Thank you."

He didn't respond, but rather gently rubbed her temples as she fell asleep. He continued to do so after she was asleep peacefully, but something happened after a few minutes when she fell into a deep sleep. He felt something shift, a connection and before he realized what was happening, he fell into her mind, a sleep state overwhelming him and trapping him there until she woke up.

The Doctor gasped at the complete size of it. It was flowing with golden energy, and he saw hastily built walls behind him, looking like a veil - not functional, because she was asleep and the walls were so weak, made in a rush and without much thought. He was drawn further into her mind by a curious song, which led him to a series of doors that were, oddly, very solid and very much locked. He checked each one of them and came upon one that wasn't locked. He twisted the knob and the second he pushed it open, the song grew louder, more frantic. He turned around to find the hallway had dissolved into a scene, a memory, and he watched, curious.

He was in a room with Rose, who was lying on a bed, half-naked, a blanket thrown over her stomach and leg. She was awake and mumbling, but not moving, and she didn't seem very coherent. A blurry figure walked over to her and sat on the bed, shoving her over to make room. They grabbed her arm and the Doctor frowned as they pulled something out before he realized what it was - a needle. He sucked in a sharp breath as the person - whose identity he was beginning to guess - shoved it painfully into her arm and injected her with _something_.

"Please," Rose whispered.

"Shh," the man, who he could now see was definitely Jimmy, hushed her, pulling the needle out and throwing it on the ground. Everything was going dark as the drugs lulled Rose to sleep, but the panic in her eyes - and in the memory - was clear. He wasn't sure why she'd been drugged and he didn't want to know why.

"Please."

It faded into another memory, this one of Rose alone, in the kitchen, though she still wasn't dressed completely, just in her bra and underwear. She was cooking quietly, making chicken and a salad. The Doctor could feel how strong this memory was, how completely stuck and terrified she felt. She looked older, maybe seventeen or eighteen now, and the Doctor knew this was toward the end.

He was startled out of his thoughts as Rose rinsed off the knife she was holding and wiped it with a dry dish towel before taking it to her leg and pushing it in. He felt his hearts stop completely and his respiratory bypass kick in as he watched her. She was silent, but there were tears running down her face as she pulled the knife back out. He wished this was anything other than a memory so that he could stop her, or comfort her, or better yet - it wasn't real. But he knew it was, and he could only watch, his hearts breaking, as she paused, and then dug it back into her leg, but lower this time.

His mind flashed back to a moment earlier that day when she'd been talking about Jimmy and rubbed her leg hard, and he realized this was why.

She'd gotten a total of five cuts - five of them! - in before Jimmy walked in and stopped at the sight. The Doctor tensed as he waited for the man's reaction. Rose gasped and dropped the knife on the floor, backing up as he stormed over. He shoved her against the wall and she groaned in pain, her hand gripping her leg tightly.

"What the fuck did you do?" he screamed, tearing her hand away from her leg. "What were you doing, Rose?"

"I- I'm sorry," she gasped, tears still streaming down her face. "I'm sorry."

"I told you, you're not leaving me," he growled, grabbing her leg and twisting his fingers in the cuts. She screamed as he opened them wider, but a glare from him shut her up quickly, leaving her whimpering in pain. "No one else would want you now. You can't even be a slut because they'll be so disgusted."

Rose said nothing in her defense, just crying quietly. Jimmy looked at her and scoffed, his frustration growing. "You wanna die, Rose? Fine. Have it your way." He grabbed her by the throat and squeezed, silencing her cries. Her eyes squeezed shut in pain as he choked her until she passed out, and the memory faded.

The next memory was of his Rose - of Rose from that day, with her beautiful, golden eyes. She was leaning in the arms of a man, who was looking down at her in what seemed like worry.

"Jack, I can't go home like this," she said, and he noted the name. Jack. This was probably the friend she'd mentioned.

"I know they'll worry about you, but you have to find the Doctor," he replied, and his words made it seem like it had been of utmost importance that she found him.

Rose sighed, shaking her head. "No, you don't understand. If my mum sees me like this, she's gonna think Jimmy got to me."

The Doctor began to understand where this was going.

Jack seemed to understand the problem, and the Doctor realized she must've told him about the ex, or he'd been there when it had happened.

Another man got their attention. "And that's… Jimmy Stone?"

"How do you know that?" Rose asked. The Doctor could feel her nerves pick up.

"Because that's who we've got in our cells."

Rose began having a panic attack, and the man, Jack, held her tightly to his chest as he calmed her down. It was a few minutes before her breathing evened out again and the Doctor watched her friend closely before realizing she was talking again.

"I forgot that's why I was with Mickey," she said shakily, and the Doctor realized that made a lot of sense. It didn't seem, even when he'd met her like she had any real feelings for the boy, but she was still with him. But it made sense if she was dating him for protection. And he thought the boy had probably known it, too.

"I want to see him," she said, jolting him out of his thoughts. She argued with Jack for a moment before he relented, and the Doctor wanted to smack the man. This would never have turned out well.

When they got down to the cells, the Doctor looked around and was shocked to find aliens occupying most of the cells. He didn't recognize them, but they looked nearly feral.

The Doctor listened as Jack told Jimmy he had three guns and realized Rose had been serious when she said her friend had probably shot him. Jimmy yelled and Rose winced, which Jack decided was reason enough to reach for his gun, but Rose stopped him.

"How did you find me, Jimmy?" She sounded small. He hated it.

The man explained how her mum had outed her return and he'd found her. "We have unfinished business, Rose." In his voice was a threat, a promise that made the Doctor's skin crawl.

"You mean, you couldn't kill me last time, so you wanted to finish it this time," Rose spat, and the Doctor wondered how many times this man had nearly killed her.

"You were supposed to be mine," Jimmy snapped, replying to something she'd said. He took a step forward and she stepped back, and one of the aliens snarled at her. Jack grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, kissing her head gently. The Doctor felt a pang of unreasonable jealousy but ignored it. "Instead you're a whore - you even found yourself another man to fuck." The Doctor's lips thinned at the words and the suggestion, but he could tell it wasn't true. Faint images flashed over the memory and he watched as they flew by, detached, but with meaning. Jimmy breaking into her room through her window and attacking her, beating her until her mum came home a few minutes later and called the police, random images of him following her, appearing at work and when she was with Shireen, the word "whore" being thrown at her when he found her holding hands with Mickey.

"Stop."

"Is that why you went missing? I told everyone, you probably just became a hooker, went around fucking everyone you could. Or are they disgusted by those _scars_? I told you, Rose, you fucked up your life with those. I told you everyone would be disgusted by you, but you wouldn't stop! I was your only chance for a regular life and you threw it away to be a street slut."

The Doctor felt his anger boiling over, the Oncoming Storm rising in him as Rose began to panic once again, his words cutting at her deeply, but the memory began to fade then, and it disappeared, a new one arising.

This one was filled with the same song he'd heard earlier, but mixed with something else, something familiar. A gold light was surrounding him, but it faded to reveal Rose, standing in the middle of a large, room with a weird contraption on her head, in the middle of a circle of machines. There were soldiers scattered around her, and two people on the other side of some glass, banging on it and screaming at her. He couldn't see them well enough to tell who they were, but he had a bad feeling about whatever was happening. After all, none of these memories had been good.

The Doctor walked closer to Rose and looked at her - she looked older, maybe 23, but curiously, her eyes were brown, like when she was fifteen. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that her eyes, the difference between the gold and the brown, were telling him something important, and he was missing it.

She looked at the people banging on the glass and smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry."

And then she nodded at someone who was waiting by some computers, and they pressed a single button.

And Rose started screaming.

She was frozen, her hands at her sides and the Doctor could feel the mental agony she was going through. It was like her brain was being used to scream at the entire universe, and it was killing her. The pain was absolutely torturous, and he wondered how she was lasting so long.

And then it was over.

She fell to the floor and just before her eyes closed, he saw it - her eyes flashed, like an explosion, and they went from a dark brown to a gold, though he could see the light fading from them still.

He could feel it, the same thing he felt before every regeneration - she was dying. It was fairly quick but still filled with pain as her mind twitched, absolutely fried from whatever had happened. She gasped, but then it was over.

Rose Tyler was dead.

But the memory - dream? - didn't stop there. As soon as the world faded and she had died, that golden light overcame her everything, cradling her like a mother would cradle her child. Something shifted in her mind as it was being held, but he couldn't tell what it was.

It was odd, he thought, as the cradle changed to something less alive and felt more like a… process. The light got almost _tighter_ like it was getting brighter, ready to explode.

But it didn't. It was more like it was imploding. And that energy was so _familiar_ , but he couldn't quite place it.

She was in pain, that much was clear. Horrible pain, like she was being pressed inside of something that didn't quite fit right - that didn't fit her mind right.

And then it faded, the song filling the air again and comforting her as her mind twitched in pain from being compressed into something too small.

And as that memory faded, it was almost as if it hadn't happened at all, or like she wasn't meant to remember it. It was certainly odd, and the only conclusion he could come up with was that it was a dream.

Except for the part of him that knew it couldn't have been, because her mind really was much too large for a human, and he shouldn't have fallen in and _gotten trapped_ because she shouldn't be telepathic.

When no more memories appeared and the hall replaced them, the Doctor wandered back to where the veil was and found it solidifying, and he realized that he might be able to get through now. With a brief glance back at the vast mind he was in, he stepped through.

He wasn't prepared for the sight.

Her mind, on this side, was _destroyed_. And, he realized, it very well might have been on the other side as well, considering all the locked doors.

The chaos of it all was painful to look at - the badly glued memories, many still lying on the ground, missing their home, the _**pain**_ that radiated from her entire mind. He gently touched a memory and everything flashed red as it fell to the floor. The _**pain**_ increased and he was very suddenly thrown from her mind and back into Rose's bedroom, where she lay on her bed, crying - screaming - and hitting him as hard as she could, which was, surprisingly, pretty hard. He grabbed her wrists as gently as he could to stop her from hitting him. "Rose, it's okay."

"Please, stop," she cried. "Please."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, understanding what was happening. She slowly stopped hitting him after hearing his voice and settled for putting her head in his lap and crying softly, pain in her voice. "I'm so sorry, Rose."

It was twenty-three minutes before her breathing evened out and she calmed down, though she was still tense and twitching every now and then in pain. She didn't say anything to him, but he felt like he _had_ to explain - he refused to let her think he might've invaded her mind.

"I didn't mean to enter your mind," he whispered because it felt like if he spoke louder, the both of them would break. "I was rubbing your temples and you must've fallen into a deep sleep, and I slipped in. I couldn't get out."

Rose just nodded. "I know you wouldn't do it on purpose."

"I didn't mean…" the Doctor sighed. "I saw some things. Your memories."

"My nightmares," she corrected softly, and he stiffened. He wasn't sure why it hadn't occurred to him that they were nightmares she was actively having, but he could've smacked himself for missing it.

"I'm sorry, Rose."

"It's okay," she spoke quietly. "I mean… I really… I would've rather you not seen those things, but… there's nothing we can really do about that now."

The Doctor winced, thinking of the first two memories. "I won't ask you to talk about it anymore," he promised quietly.

"No, it's… it's okay. Might as well, now," she sighed. "Turn on the light, will you?"

The Doctor did as she asked as she sat up, pulling the blankets up around her.

"I met him when I was fifteen," she started, and he settled in next to her to listen. She grabbed his hand and he let her - she obviously needed the physical comfort. "I snuck into a pub with a friend and he was playing. He was nineteen. He took an interest in me, and I started going to his gigs. Eventually, he asked me out, and I was… I was thrilled. We dated, and it didn't take long before he convinced me to quit school and move in with him. I did it. I thought he loved me. He treated me like a queen."

She paused, sighing. "I loved school, but he convinced me that he loved me more than I loved learning. It didn't… it didn't take long before it started. He waited until I had a big fight with mum, so I couldn't go back. Then, one night, god… I don't even know what I said. He shoved me against the wall and screamed at me, I mean really… just yelled, said nasty things. It happened a few more times before he started… he started drugging me," her voice was a whisper, and the Doctor remembered the half awake Rose watching as Jimmy put a needle in her arm. "I… I don't know why, but he gave me these really strong sleeping drugs. I don't really know what he did when I was out, but… well, I don't think I want to know, considering the bruises I woke up with." The Doctor closed his eyes at those words, his hearts breaking yet again. He felt like he was going to be sick at the implication, but she moved on too quickly to think about it. "He would drug me before we went out, too, but with something different. Something to keep me foggy, and I barely knew what was happening most of the time. I don't really remember quite a lot of it."

She fell quiet and the Doctor didn't say anything but drew patterns on the back of her hand to calm her. It seemed to work, and a minute later, she continued. "That day, in the bar, Shireen had grabbed my hand and left a note in it. It said, 'nod if you need me to call the police.'" The Doctor's understanding of the situation grew as he realized why Jimmy got so angry. "I'm not really sure where he got the drugs," she mentioned offhandedly like it mattered. "I think he had a friend who stole them from the hospital and sold them cheap."

There was silence for about five minutes as she gathered the strength to continue speaking.

"It was pretty consistent the entire time we were together. He would drug me, hurt me, say awful things to me, and I would sit there and take it while I did everything for him. I cooked, and cleaned, and made sure that no one saw what he was doing… aside from my mum and Shireen. They tried, they did, but they couldn't prove he was doing anything wrong, and Jimmy threatened to kill me if I ever said anything to the police." She took a deep breath. "Sometimes he did. Try to kill me, that is. Something always happened to stop him. A knock on the door, the phone ringing, or he just lost interest. But there were… a couple times, when he nearly did. He'd been bringing home other women, sleeping with them in the same bed as me. One night, he gave me too much. I nearly died, but he'd just barely given me too little. I was a vegetable for a week, and when I came out of it, he hit me for not being awake to do things for him. Another time…" she stopped and rubbed her leg absentmindedly, and he caught her train of thought quickly. "Well, you saw what happened. I… didn't want to live anymore. It was the easiest way out, and it looked like the only one. When he was choking me, I could see it. He just… he wanted me gone. It hurt…" she closed her eyes, her voice full of pain. "There were bruises on my throat for weeks after, and I had to put on makeup so no one noticed."

She looked down at their intertwined fingers and shrugged. "I didn't get out because of anything I did," she admitted, looking very much ashamed. "We were walking home one night, and we passed through this alley. He'd… I wasn't very coherent. I didn't know where we were or what we were doing. I guess he decided he wanted to... " she winced, not wanting to say the words, but the Doctor got the message. He'd wanted sex. "He was pulling off my clothes and shoving me against this brick wall, pretty hard. I hit my head and I think I made some noise because he covered my mouth. I felt quite like I was going to pass out, so I was really just focusing on staying awake. My vision was all blurry, and I just… I didn't have any control over myself, or him, or anything."

She paused, biting her lip. "I don't really know what happened, honestly. He was all over me, and I guess it attracted someone's attention. They pulled him off of me and… I don't know." She frowned, trying to remember. "I don't really know what they looked like or anything, but they called the police and took me… somewhere. I don't really know, but I woke up again feeling a million times better, and… then they took me to my mum. And she took me back in with her arms open, but she doesn't let me forget it. She never does."

"This person," the Doctor wondered quietly. "Do you remember them after waking up?"

Rose shook her head. "No. I dunno, it's like I can remember everything except for them. I've always wished I could thank them, you know, for saving my life."

The Doctor stayed quiet as a thought occurred to him, one that he wasn't sure how to test. But he set it aside for another time and opened his arms for the girl in front of him, who complied, relaxing into his hold. "Did you ever talk to anyone about it? A therapist?"

She shrugged. "Couldn't get on the list. It takes forever to get in with someone, and they only send you to one immediately if you tried to kill yourself."

"Rose…" the Doctor paused. She _had_ tried to kill herself.

"No, recently. By the time I looked into it, it had already been nearly two years since… that. They didn't consider me an immediate danger."

"That's rubbish," the Doctor scoffed. "Have you healed at all?"

"I don't know. No. I'm still… you know, I still get scared. Sudden loud noises in a quiet room and I could swear he's right behind me. Men yell at me, and I just wanna cry." She rubbed her forehead, closing her eyes. "I see him sometimes, in the corner of my eye or in a dark room. It's like he's always there, haunting me."

The Doctor wasn't sure what to say, so he stayed quiet and close, providing comfort for his young companion. They stayed like that for a very long time, hours, just sitting in silence as the words of the night washed over both of them. Eventually, Rose fell asleep, her head resting on his shoulder, and he lay still to let her sleep - she needed it.

He watched over her, holding her hand in her sleep, and gently stroking it when she stirred or whimpered, keeping the nightmares at bay.

It was the least he could do for her.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	8. The Doctor's Curiosity

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SO! This is a very... dramatic chapter. It's even a surprise to my beta - the wonderful padfootl0ve - and she didn't know anything about it until I sent it to her.**

 **I hope you don't mind the changes in this chapter or the way it happened. It's a bit choppy, but it's the best I can do and it's more important to do what I can and move on right now than to agonize over it - that's how I ended up taking a long ass break in the first place.**

 **I'm pretty nervous about this one, so definitely let me know what you think! I always appreciate the reviews and your thoughts.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **The Doctor's Curiosity**

"Rose," the Doctor said quietly, poking his head out from under the grating in the console room. "I have a question."

He'd been making repairs, since that was always when he had his best thoughts, like the idea to take a biologically attracted butterfly net to find the bat that had gotten loose from one of his rooms full of animals.

He'd spent the better part of eight hours down there, considering the same problem that had been bugging him for far too long.

Rose's eyes.

He hadn't gotten any real clue as to what they were, or what happened to them, until a few nights ago when he'd slipped into her mind and saw her die - which he hadn't brought up since she didn't seem to remember that particular nightmare. But he was starting to feel like he had to.

The TARDIS had been completely unhelpful. He'd taken more in-depth scans of his companion without her knowledge, but the TARDIS - angry at the intrusion - had changed the readings to a language he didn't know and refused to translate it. He got the distinct feeling she was still upset with him for that, and he hadn't tried it again, though he did feel vaguely betrayed. It seemed almost as if the TARDIS liked Rose better.

Because the TARDIS didn't usually take an interest in his companions, aside from indifference and, occasionally, a strong dislike. And the only time she really acknowledged them was when he needed help, or she felt like being mischievous.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as Rose replied, looking up from the book she'd been reading. She'd been sitting in the console room with him all day, quietly reading and content just being in the same room, doing their own thing.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Your eyes are golden," he said.

"That's not a question, Doctor," Rose laughed, closing her book.

"Why… is that?" He suppressed an eye roll at himself.

Rose shrugged. "I don't really know."

"Your mum," he tried. "When you went back to get your things, she asked you about them, too."

It was true. He'd overheard the confused conversation and knew that something was definitely wrong.

His suspicion only furthered when Rose froze, avoiding his gaze. She didn't answer him, so he tried again.

"They were brown when I went back and saw you with Jimmy."

"I've heard of people's eyes changing color over time," she supplied, though he guessed she knew it was a weak deflection.

"Yeah, but that's blue to green, something like that. This is like… human to _not_ human."

She just shrugged, trying very hard not to look at him.

"The other night," he continued against his better judgment. "What was the last nightmare you had before you woke up?"

She thought about it for a second, frowning. "Talking to Jimmy."

"But that wasn't the last," he told her, and she looked confused like she was questioning her own memory. "You can't remember it, can you?"

"No," she sighed. "That happens sometimes. I have these nightmares and I can't remember anything except… except this burning pain in my head."

"I saw it," he told her, and she finally looked up, her eyes wide, as if the thought hadn't occurred to her. "Do you want to know what I saw?"

She hesitated, glancing at the walls before nodding, though she still looked troubled. The TARDIS sent him a wave of disapproval, and something else, like a warning, but he ignored it, focusing on Rose.

"You were in a big, grey room. You looked nearly 23 or 24. There were a bunch of machines set up in a circle, and there were soldiers all over," he watched as she frowned like it sounded familiar but she couldn't place it. "And there were two people, and you smiled at them. Do you remember that?" She didn't answer him, and he kept going regardless. "Someone pressed a button, and… your brain, I think it was being used as a weapon." He was fairly certain of it, in fact, having gone back over what he'd seen in his head. He recognized some of the technology, and the sort of pain he'd felt coming from Rose was nearly unmistakable. "It was like they fried your brain so they could attack someone." He studied her face and missed the flinch as something clicked.

"Doctor," she whispered. He continued, hoping for more recognition.

"Your brain was burning, but your eyes changed in that moment. They went from brown to golden. And then," he frowned. "Then you died."

"Doctor," she repeated, but he didn't hear her, caught up in telling her what had happened.

"But that wasn't it, no, because this… golden light just wrapped itself around you and held you, and it changed your mind. And then, this is the weird part, everything got tight, and your mind imploded. And it was like your mind was being compressed and changed into something it shouldn't be."

"I don't- I don't understand," Rose sighed, frustrated, as she rubbed her head like she had a headache.

"And there was something else, Rose," the Doctor continued, walking over to her now, speaking quietly. "This song inside your mind. Always there, just locked away."

He could feel more than hear the TARDIS practically screaming at him now, but he ignored it as it barely registered to him. More background noise, like a fly buzzing, unnoticed, in his ear.

"Would you like to hear it?" he asked, raising his hands and motioning to her head. She hesitated, nervous.

"I don't know," she replied quietly. She was scared, and he didn't really blame her. Nothing that he was describing was normal, or human. Something had happened, and it scared not just her, but him, too.

"You deserve to know what's going on inside your brain," he told her firmly, and she nodded warily, still rubbing her head as if she were in pain. He wasn't surprised - she'd been reading in relatively low light for a long time, and it was bound to give her a headache.

"Okay."

He slowly reached for her head, as he'd noticed she would flinch away if he moved too quick - something he had a feeling had to do with the state of her mind, but that wasn't what they were addressing right then. His fingers slowly came to her head and rested on her temples gently, and he fell into her mind. He flinched at the sight of it and shoved down the anger as he considered how it could've happened. It was possible it came from whatever happened when she died - which he still wasn't sure what to think about _that_ \- but he doubted it. It looked more like she'd been attacked, ripped apart, and it was all he could do not to drop what he was doing and question her about it.

Too much about her was a mystery - her eyes, her death, her telepathy, her destroyed mind - and he intended to get to the bottom of it.

"Rose? Can you hear me?"

"Yeah," she said softly, out loud. He chuckled and smiled a little.

"Just think it. I'm in your head, I can hear it."

"Oh," she said, this time just in her mind.

"I'm gonna show you the song now, okay?" He felt her nod and held her head so his fingers didn't slip off.

And he let his memory of the song play in her mind.

There were a solid two seconds where nothing happened. It was like everything but him froze, pausing for just a moment.

And then he heard the cloister bells ringing.

Not a half second after that, he was ejected from Rose's mind as something exploded throughout it - something golden and deadly.

In a knee-jerk reaction, he threw himself away from Rose as she fell, screaming in pain. Before he could move back toward her, she began glowing, the same gold as her eyes and her mind was now enveloping her body as she shook and screamed.

Something appeared to the side and he tore his eyes away from his companion to find… himself. A recording.

"...and if something happens, an emergency and she can't tell you herself," he said, looking very serious and very tired. "Darlig Ulv Stranden."

The Doctor's breath left him as he felt his memories shift, new ones emerging from a night he'd forgotten.

He didn't have time to think about it, because he turned back to his companion, whose voice was going raw, and caught her as she fell. He lowered her to the floor, settling her head into his lap. He didn't know what was happening, but the only thing he could think of was her death, her mind imploding, and he knew what he needed to do.

He raised his hands and pressed them to her head again, throwing his entire mind against hers and wrapping himself around her, trying to help the pain as best as he could. It was impossibly bright and he couldn't see much, but he did know one thing - the wall that had held the size of her true mind had been obliterated in this storm.

He felt a connection - a bond - form and he hated himself just a little bit for it, but he knew he had to help her, save her from whatever was happening.

And then, the most curious thing happened.

A figure appeared in her mind and helped him control her pain. It was slowly holding her mind together and shoving him away from it, and he let it.

"I am the Bad Wolf," it said, the voice graceful in the chaotic situation. "And I will protect her and heal her, I will prepare her mind for what is coming, but you must leave."

And he trusted it.

So, he slowly lifted his fingers from her head and looked at her. She was no longer screaming, but she was twitching and gasping. All he could do was hold her while the Bad Wolf held on, preparing her for… whatever this was. He stroked her cheek gently and didn't bother looking up when the TARDIS interface began speaking, using his face, saying only one sentence, giving him what he otherwise would never have understood - at least, not in time.

"Rose Tyler is regenerating."

The Doctor froze. Denial slammed into him first, but as he stopped to think about it, he realized it made terrifying sense.

A human mind could never survive looking into the heart of the TARDIS, but if she'd been turned into a Time Lady when it happened - not a Gallifreyan, but a Time Lady, since only they could look into the Time Vortex - then she'd have had a much better chance. Not to mention whatever Bad Wolf was, it was obviously a part of her and could protect her.

But the Doctor had a feeling she wasn't _only_ Time Lord. There was something else to her. Because Time Lords didn't have glowing golden eyes. It had always reminded the Doctor of a story as old as Gallifrey and Time itself of a goddess who held the universe to her hearts and protected it. The story had described her with incredible golden eyes and a changing face, though she always wore a pink dress everywhere she went.

The similarities now were startling.

The Doctor watched the golden light and shook his head. He wouldn't let her regenerate, not right now. Not if he could help, and he knew he could. So he focused on his own body and felt around for the regeneration energy he knew he could access and gripped onto it. He placed his hands on her face and threw it into her. The entire room exploded in the golden light now as her body twitched, and after only a moment, all of the energy in the room funneled back into her, slamming into her body and making her tense as it settled.

And then it was dark.

It was too dark and too quiet, and the Doctor realized he'd been holding his breath as he watched the spectacle. He let it out slowly and lifted his hands from Rose's face as that bond he'd made earlier scraped against his mind, inviting him in.

He stood as his mind began working again, the shock wearing off, and picked up his companion. He took her to a room that he never used - though he really should've. He opened the door with difficulty and walked into the Zero Room, settling her onto a bed that he assumed the TARDIS had put in there for her.

And so he sat on the edge of the bed and waited. He knew it could take days - weeks - to heal, especially since the walls had been broken and since her mind was so damaged, but he was going to wait with her.

He had to.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

In the end, it was four days before Rose woke.

She opened her eyes immediately, panicking as she woke because everything felt _different_. She felt so large and there was so much more inside of her mind that she wasn't sure what to do. She grabbed her head and took in a sharp breath as her brain frantically tried to figure out what was happening.

"Rose," the Doctor gasped, grabbing her hand.

"Doctor." Her voice was shaky and her throat felt scratchy as she spoke.

"Just take a deep breath, okay? You're okay," he promised her, and she did as he said because she absolutely trusted him.

"What happened?" she asked. The confusing size of her mind was overwhelming, and she felt like a small child lost in a crowd. She was thinking too many things at once and she couldn't keep track of any of them. "Doctor, it's so… I can't…"

He leaned forward and grabbed her hand, and she felt something - an itch, and she couldn't help but scratch it because it was so _new_ and she didn't know how to not. As soon as she let the urge to scratch the itch overcome her, she felt a connection open up with the Doctor, and she gasped, her eyes widening. It was like instead of him being in her mind, he was in hers and she was in his, though she didn't know how to process any of it. He looked somewhat startled as well, but he said nothing and just stroked her mind gently with his own. He did that until she eventually calmed enough from the shock and was able to put her thoughts together.

"Doctor, what happened?" She asked again. She felt him struggle with how to explain it before answering.

"What do you remember?"

She paused to think about it. "I remember you asking about my eyes… and then… I don't know. You started telling me… about something…"

"The day you died," he said quietly. "And something happened, Rose. Do you know what it was?"

"My mind is so… large," she answered him.

"You were regenerating."

She froze, taking in a sharp breath. "What?"

"I showed you a song, one that was in your head. It was the song of the Bad Wolf, and it was killing you, so the TARDIS stopped holding your mind back. She was keeping you human, and you changed, at least your biology changed. It was like this gadget that I've got called a chameleon arch. When you died, you changed, and when she brought you back to this universe, she changed you back and buried all of that with some walls, so it looked and felt like your mind was smaller."

"Okay," she said, and she did understand him. She felt like she could learn things a million times quicker now, and this wasn't that hard to grasp. "But how do you…"

"Know about all of this?" The Doctor finished for her. "I added some extra precautions for the TARDIS to look out for, and she showed me one to let me remember."

"Ah."

"Rose," the Doctor started cautiously. "There are… things we need to talk about."

"Okay," she replied. The Doctor let go of her hand and she immediately mourned the loss of his calm mind against hers, but she opened her eyes to look at him and saw the conflicted look on his face. "I can still feel you," she gasped, surprised. And she did. She could feel his mind close to her, and hear some things - not really thoughts, but almost. It was so… loud, like it was echoing in a spot that was supposed to be full, but wasn't.

"That's because you're like me now," he answered, glad for the decision since he obviously didn't know how to start. "I told you I could feel the loss of my people in here," he pointed to his head, and understanding flooded her, as well as empathetic grief. She couldn't imagine how awful it would be to have this part of her mind completely empty. "You always will."

"Is that why I can feel your mind, your thoughts next to mine?"

He hesitated. "No. You have to understand, Rose, that you were in extreme pain. I wasn't really sure what was happening, but I knew I could help with the pain, so I… I basically threw my mind against yours, like shielding you from an explosion. And it worked, but it created the beginning of a bond."

"A bond…" she paused, biting her lip as she thought. "What does that mean exactly?"

"Well, we'll be able to hear each other's thoughts if we're touching, for one. A- a normal bond is very… intimate. It's shared between a couple, usually, that want to be bound together for their lives. All of them."

Rose gasped, her eyes widening. "So are we… oh my god, wait, am I gonna live as long as you?"

The Doctor nodded slowly. "Probably longer, since you're just starting out your regenerations. I'm on my ninth. Tenth, technically," he paused. "Actually, it might be my eleventh? I had to give you some regeneration energy so you wouldn't regenerate." He waved the thought away with his hand. "But no, we're not bonded yet."

"But I thought you said-,"

"What we have is called a preliminary bond," he explained. "There are three stages to bonds. Preliminary, practice, and permanent. The first two can be broken," he paused. "But it hurts, and honestly, I don't know if it's a good idea."

"Why?" Rose frowned. She didn't exactly want to break the bond, but she figured he would.

The Doctor didn't answer her for a minute and she was surprised to find she could feel his emotions if she paid attention. He seemed… worried.

"Doctor, why?"

"If you're bonded with someone, even the way we are, it adds walls. Protection to your mind. No one could enter it unless they broke the bond between us."

"Is that possible?" Rose wondered, eyes wide.

"Yes, but it can be dangerous if someone else does it. It can damage your mind badly - though if they're breaking our bond for us, then I'd assume they already want to - and in the worst cases, it can kill you."

Rose nodded, filing the information away. "So, you want to keep it to protect our minds?"

"I'm not worried about mine," he replied. "I've had nine hundred years to perfect my mental barriers. But with how absolutely broken your mind is, it would be too easy for someone to come in and tear it apart."

"Okay," Rose nodded as she thought of something else. "What's the difference between each type of bond?"

The Doctor sighed. She wondered briefly at how willing he seemed to provide her with answers but focused on his words. "So I've explained our bond, the preliminary bond. That was typically used to get used to one another's minds. During the second one, the bond is stronger. You don't have to touch to talk mentally or hear each other's thoughts. You just have to be nearby. How close generally depends on the couple and the strength of their bond, their… compatibility. The second one is like… engagement." Rose nodded her understanding. "The third one, however, is more like marriage. It's permanent, and it can't be broken."

"Ever?"

"Ever," the Doctor nodded. "Only death - permanent death, that is. It just feels sort of like a gaping hole, not only in your mind but also physically."

"That sounds… horrible," Rose whispered. "Are there any other differences between the second and third?"

"Yes," the Doctor sighed. "The third one, you can be anywhere - in space, not time - and still speak to each other. You could be on earth and your partner on the Rings of Akhaten and you could still hear and feel each other."

"That's… incredible."

The Doctor nodded. "One very important thing about bonds that I haven't mentioned is that you can feel the other person's physical pain."

"With the third one?"

He shook his head. "With all of them." She blinked. "And with the one we have, you can also feel any extreme emotions - especially if they're being projected."

"So, if I were in extreme danger," Rose started, and the Doctor nodded.

"I'd feel it." He looked at her, his eyes serious. "It's your decision, Rose. I think we should keep it, but if you're uncomfortable with it, we can sever it."

She frowned at him, and he could feel faint surprise coming from her. "Of course I want to keep it," she said, giving him a smile now. "It sounds amazing."

"Okay," he nodded, surprised at how easily she'd accepted it. Though, he realized, she had spent two years with him and, though he was trying very hard not to think about it, she obviously was very much in love with him. "There's more we need to talk about, too. I'd like to get at least some of it out of the way now - I'll have to lock away my memories again within the next day or two."

"Oh," she gasped, her eyes widening. "How long has it been since that happened?"

"Four days," he replied. "It would've been much longer, but I've got this room to heal me after I regenerate, and it helped you quite a bit."

Rose gasped as her mind drifted to Christmas Day, and laughed as an idea formed. She waved off the questioning look her Doctor gave her and he continued.

"We need to talk about your mind," he said softly. "I know you wanted to wait, but it needs to be healed. There are some things that I obviously can't know, so they need to go in a locked room, where they won't slip out and tell me anything. The more that these memories slip out, the harder they'll be to lock away again and the more likely it is that it'll happen again."

Rose shrugged lightly, though she looked nervous. "That's… fine. I just wanted to wait because I didn't want you to see everything with Jimmy."

The Doctor's mouth opened and closed as he realized that it made a lot of sense. And he wasn't particularly excited to see all of those memories, but he'd rather see them and know than let her suffer.

"I can't add the memories I see to the ones that will be locked away in my mind, aside from the ones of us together," he said quietly. "It'd be too much. I'll hide away the reason I know them - it'll be like I just glimpsed it in your mind." Rose nodded a little and he sighed. "I think we should start now. I'm not sure how long this will take."

"Okay."

"Let's stay in here - it'll help with the healing process. It should make things go quicker," he explained. She nodded, and he waved at her to lie down. Once she was comfortable, he moved to sit on the bed, instead of the chair he'd been in and smiled down at her. "If you need a break, just let me know, and we can stop, but you can't break contact in the middle of a memory. It'd be like dropping it into a black hole - you can't ever get it back."

She didn't respond, but he could tell she understood. With a deep breath, he reached his hand out, letting her grab it whenever she felt comfortable, no longer needing to touch her temples. After barely a moment's hesitation, she grabbed it, and they fell into the broken mess of her mind.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

In the end, it was the Doctor that needed to take a break instead of Rose. He'd reached a particularly awful memory of Jimmy and felt like he was going to be sick. He'd hastily finished repairing it - though he loathed doing so, he couldn't just destroy memories, even of the trauma she'd endured - and pulled away from her.

She had tears down her face, though they'd been silent, and he could feel the pain radiating off of her and thought back to what he'd said before about being able to feel extreme emotions. The thought occurred to him that he'd probably be able to feel her nightmares now and he aggressively ignored the idea that she'd feel his.

He took some long deep breaths as he pulled himself together. Just when he'd been about to say something, he heard her quiet, shaking voice.

"Some days were worse than others, Doctor," she told him.

"Why didn't you… mention it?" he wondered, thinking back to when she'd told him everything. She sighed, and he could see she was trying to put her thoughts into words, with immense difficulty.

"Because, honestly, I forgot. It's not… it's not like I can recall everything," she winced. "Although, I think maybe I can now."

The Doctor's eyes widened as he realized what she meant. Her human mind had repressed the trauma, but he was showing all of it to her - not only that, but now that her mind was larger, they would stick. "Oh, Rose…" His mind raced, trying to think of a way to fix it, or not make it worse. He couldn't think of anything and his frustration was palpable.

"It's okay, Doctor," she bit her lip lightly. "I'll have to deal with it eventually, anyway." And he hated that. He rubbed his face, sighing deeply, but Rose spoke before he could. "Let's finish this, Doctor. We still have more to do, don't we?"

And so, with great reluctance and significant guilt, the Doctor agreed, and they resumed the long process.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It took nearly nine hours before the Doctor had finished, pausing every now and then when one of them needed it. He'd tried to move around and not focus on just one part of her life at a time, but it was hard.

The Doctor found himself feeling so much _closer_ to Rose, and she couldn't help but feel the same, if not a little exposed. He'd seen all of her life - her best moments and her worst regrets, and he'd not judged her for any of it.

He didn't say anything when he was done, but rather told her to stay there and left the room in search of tea and a snack. When he returned, she was waiting for him. He set the tray down on the end of the bed for her, and she grabbed a cup happily.

"I'm going to leave the explanation you originally gave me of the attack on your mind, and just lock away the memories of your other timeline," the Doctor explained to her. "It's too suspicious that I know your entire life."

"I was wondering if it would be," Rose nodded. "So what will you remember? Or, I guess, what are you locking away?"

"Everything that was locked before, except for the attack on your mind, as well as those extra memories, like I said," he paused, thinking. "I'm pretty sure that's it, but I'll let you know if that changes. I will have to lock away some memories of what happened, like seeing the Bad Wolf."

"And you said you'll put up walls in my mind so you can't see those things, right?"

The Doctor shook his head a little. "I'm gonna teach you how to do it. It's extremely important to know for any strong telepath. I'll guide and help you, but you'll be doing it."

"Doctor," Rose started, curious. "Why are you being so… open?"

The question startled him, and he thought about it for a moment. "You're like me now," his voice was soft, and she could tell this was somewhat hard for him. "All of my friends, they leave in the end, because they have to. They grow old or die or move on, but you won't. You're a Time Lady, Rose. It's important to teach you everything you need to know. I can't just… treat you like anyone else, because you're not." He paused. "You weren't before, either."

Rose was quiet for a long moment before she gave him a soft smile. "I promised you forever once before, Doctor. And I'll say it again - I'm gonna stay with you forever."

She felt faint surprise, but also happiness from the Doctor, but he didn't respond to her words but rather changed the subject. "Some things can wait until I've modified my memory again, like explaining certain Time Lord things, or- oh," his eyes widened. "I have to teach you Old High Gallifreyan."

"I've always wished I could learn," she told him, a grin lighting up her face.

"You should be able to grasp things much quicker now."

"I think I'll go through the library," Rose decided. "It'd be great to really understand what you're talking about all the time."

"I'll help you," he nodded, and she could tell he was getting excited. "I'll try and explain things if I can, and if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer."

Rose smiled faintly. "So, was there anything else we needed to talk about that you won't be able to remember?"

The Doctor considered the question for a moment before he paused, something obviously coming to mind. He struggled with whether or not to tell her, she could tell, but he sighed in the end when she just raised an eyebrow at him.

"I don't… I don't think you're _only_ Time Lady," he admitted. "I think there's some Bad Wolf in there, too, and I don't entirely know what that makes you. Just… something _more_."

Rose bit her lip. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay," she repeated, shrugging. "I don't… I don't know. I haven't really felt completely right, completely human since I got back, but it's not like it was the biggest deal with everything that's been going on."

The Doctor stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Alright. There's nothing different in you except for high levels of Atron energy, which makes sense considering how Bad Wolf came to be."

"So, that's it? Nothing else I need to know?"

"Nope," he shook his head. "Now we just need to work on your barriers, and my memory, and we can figure the rest out later."

So, ten minutes later, they set to work, the Doctor showing her how to make doors in her mind and how to put things behind them. She took to it extremely quickly, and the Doctor was surprised. Usually, it took a while for people to get the hang of it, but soon she was building doors and sifting through her memories carefully, placing them out of reach.

All in all, it took about three hours, and by the time they were finished, she was exhausted. He didn't blame her - she'd been through a lot recently, and he knew she'd be even more tired if they hadn't been in the Zero Room.

He told her to get some rest and left her in the room, heading to his bedroom to start the long process of filtering the memories and hiding everything.

It was going to be a long night.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	9. Dalek

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: something that was brought to my attention was the info dumping that's happening, and I do acknowledge that it can be a problem when it happens way too much, but something to note is that the Doctor and Rose are actively taking time to talk about these things and figure out the situation, that sort of thing. They're taking time to learn and adjust, and that is definitely very important.**

 **To Curry, who reviewed with a question, because I couldn't message you: I suppose I didn't make it very clear - which is my own fault, sometimes my brain goes faster than I can write and I forget I haven't covered something - but yes, the Doctor does think it was his own solution that saved Rose in the end, forming the bond and saving her from regeneration. He also made sure that anything too suspicious was hidden away and if not locked, sort of like there's a perception filter on those memories like I mentioned a few chapters ago.**

 **I hope that sort of clears things up, and keep in mind that Rose and the Doctor are still adjusting and growing, so there will be times when they stop into the vortex just to sit and do what they need to do, like after this chapter.**

 **If anyone has any other questions that I can answer, just drop them in a review or send me a pm and I'll do my best to answer.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Dalek**

Rose had watched and listened very carefully to the Doctor as he'd explained the very basic things she'd need to learn before he could begin really teaching her anything, and then he'd given her a stack of books, put them in the vortex, and left them there for… well, she wasn't sure how long, but it was a while. Until she'd finished reading and had asked all of her questions. She knew the Doctor was having issues coming to terms with what had happened, but she wasn't sure how to help him, especially because, as calm as she pretended to be, she was just as startled as he was.

It was a few days after she'd finished her long list of reading that the Doctor had sat her down to talk again, and she realized he'd been very serious about being so completely open with her.

"I know everything about your life," he said, offering her a cup of tea. They were in the library - Rose's new favorite place - sitting on a couch together. She had leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder and looking up at him as he spoke. "And I don't know if it's fair that you know so little about mine. I thought I could… tell you things."

"Really?" Rose's eyes lit up happily. "I'd love that."

The Doctor, though he looked vaguely uncomfortable at talking like this, also seemed excited and gave her a small smile. "Well… I had this friend, back at the Academy, his name was Koschei. We were inseparable. We promised to explore the stars together, to run away from the Time Lords…"

And that was how they spent that day. The Doctor told her everything about his childhood friend, how twisted and evil he'd become. The times they'd fought together, and the times they'd battled against each other. When the memories turned to their last meeting, during the Time War, the Doctor was quieter, and he didn't bother keeping the pain from her voice - she felt it anyway. The memories ended there, as they all would, and she didn't say anything but stayed where she was, holding his hand and at his side, projecting _grief_ and _support_ and _**I'm here**_ over the bond. Because in the end, even after everything the Doctor and the Master had been through, the Doctor still loved his friend, and he still missed him.

Sensing the need to change the subject about five minutes later, Rose frowned at him. "So, I get that Time Lords can travel in time and all that, but what exactly makes them… _special_?"

"What makes _us_ special," the Doctor replied, emphasizing the fact that she was the same. She'd been forgetting it, somehow, and the Doctor found it slightly amusing, but he knew she needed to adjust her mindset or she could put herself in danger someday. "Is our time senses. For example, if you wanted to, you could look at someone's timeline."

"Can you see mine?" Rose wondered, her eyes widening.

"Nope," he replied, popping the p. "Since we've got the bond, we can't look at each others anymore. It's so that you can't see the other person's death and try to prevent it."

Rose nodded. That made sense. "What else can you do?"

" _We_ can also slow down time, in a way," he said, sighing internally. "Rose, remember, you can do all of this, too. This is what you are now."

"I know," she breathed out hard. "It's just hard to… y'know, it's just confusing. I was human, and now I'm not."

"Do you regret it?" The Doctor asked before he could stop himself. Rose blinked at the question and he could feel confusion rolling off of her.

"Of course not," she replied quickly. "I just have to get used to it, I suppose."

The Doctor nodded and went back to what he was saying. "We can slow down time, and we can speed up our thought process so that we can do things quicker, especially in an emergency. Let's see… what else? Oh, we can feel fixed points in time and space."

"What do they feel like?"

"Uncomfortable," he replied, cringing at the thought. The biggest fixed point he'd felt so far in his life was the end of the Time War, and it had blasted this regeneration's Time senses, so he was slightly worried about how he was going to teach her to use hers, but he'd figure it out. "Like nails scratching against a chalkboard, but you're the chalkboard and the fixed point is the nails." Rose winced at the idea and he nodded a bit. "You get the idea. We'll find one at some point so I can show you how it feels."

"Is that it?" she asked, pushing her hair out of her face and, accidentally, into his. He blew at it and it fell back into her face, making her laugh as she pulled it back, this time into a ponytail so it didn't hit him.

"No, we've actually got quite a few of them, but those are the most important ones right now. Each regeneration is sensitive to different things, and this one of mine isn't sensitive to any time senses at all, but we'll work on showing you how things feel and work."

And that was how they spent their time, the TARDIS giving them a break from adventures so they could get used to the change in their lives.

It wasn't until the Doctor began teaching Rose Old High Gallifreyan that something happened, the TARDIS signaling the end of their break. Surprisingly, they were both reluctant to begin exploring again, but the Doctor couldn't ignore the distress signal coming from earth.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

After changing into a TARDIS blue skater dress with cold shoulders and purple swirling inside to mix with the blue, almost like tie-dye, Rose put her leather jacket back on and slipped into a pair of pink converse before running out to the Doctor. Her mind was still a bit messy, especially with all of the new information she'd been receiving lately - not only learning things like the language and the science and how to use the TARDIS, but also everything about the Doctor's past - but she knew what this adventure was going to be, and she had to prepare herself for the Doctor's reaction.

The Doctor showed her what he was doing as he flew the TARDIS and she marveled once more at how willing he was to let her into his life like this. The TARDIS landed with a firm and final thud, and she skipped to the door and opened it, poking her head out. The Doctor squeezed past her and looked around.

"Huh."

"So, why are we here?" she asked, glancing at the horrible alien museum. "What _is_ this place? It looks like some sort of museum."

"I'm not sure," he answered, turning in a circle before looking back at her briefly as she pulled her hair tightly into a high ponytail. "Some kind of distress signal pulled the TARDIS out of the Vortex."

"So, where are we, then? And… when?"

"Earth, Utah, North America. About a half mile underground," the Doctor replied, before giving her a grin. "And for the when, you get to figure that out."

"But… how?"

"Think of the time you know," he answered. "2005. Remember how that _feels_. Now feel this time. When do you think we are?"

Rose did as he said and was surprised to find she could really feel the time. They hadn't been out of the Vortex, so she hadn't had any time to feel around. "Um… Maybe… 2012?"

The Doctor blinked at her, surprised. "Yes, exactly. That's amazing. Your time senses must be pretty strong to get it so quickly."

Rose didn't reply, glancing around as the Doctor found the light switch. He flipped it and she could see the aliens scattered around and one caught her eye, fear rolling through her at the sight. She stomped down on the emotion and focused on keeping the Doctor's mind busy, looking anywhere but at the Cyberman head,

"This is disgusting," she breathed, and she meant it. She hated the Cybermen, and she was horribly afraid of them, but these other aliens… well, she recognized some of them, but they were certainly not all evil. She couldn't help but wonder if Van Statten had killed all of them. Certainly not the Cyberman, but the rest? She had no way of knowing, at least not yet. She realized too late that the Doctor had been talking, but wasn't sure what he'd said, her mind too preoccupied with the horrors of the museum.

The Doctor just nodded, and she saw the arm of a Slitheen as they walked slowly around, shaking her head. "Doctor, look."

"They must've caught one," he reasoned. "Popped off the arm and stuffed it."

"That's horrible! Even for the Slitheen, they were awful but they don't deserve… this. No one does."

"Oh, look at you," the Doctor gasped, moving over to the same alien that had scared Rose so much earlier. She bit her lip and followed him over.

"What is it?"

"It's called a Cyberman," he replied quietly. "They're made out of people. Take the brains, put them in metal suits and remove emotions. They can live forever, but the humanity is gone. I've seen so many come up with the idea. Mondas, Telos. It'll never stop. They just go around, upgrading people, killing them and turning them into the same thing."

"That's awful," Rose breathed, shuddering. She hadn't realized that other planets had come up with the same idea as Pete's World, as John Lumic using Cybus Industries.

"The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit," the Doctor muttered. "I'm getting old."

"Is it safe?" Rose asked. "Is all of this… safe?"

The Doctor turned to her, his eyes dark. "I don't know."

Then, as the Doctor does, he touched the glass.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"And the last," Adam said as Rose and the Doctor walked in. Rose did her best not to react to the presence of the boy, but he just annoyed her _so much_. "Paid $800,000 for it."

Rose coughed to cover up a snort.

"What does it do?" Van Statten asked, waving it around as he looked at it.

"Well you see the tubes on the side," Adam pointed out. "Must be to channel something, I think maybe fuel-,"

"I really wouldn't hold it like that," the Doctor warned, and Rose smiled.

"Shut it," Goddard snapped, and the Doctor barely glanced at her.

"Really though, I wouldn't."

"Is it dangerous?" Adam asked, finally looking at the new people in the room.

"No, just looks stupid," the Doctor replied, and Rose laughed shortly, silenced by a glare from Goddard. The Doctor leaned forward to reach for it and the soldiers in the room turned off their safeties, raising their guns. Van Statten raised his hand, and the guns were lowered but the safeties remained off. The man stood and handed the item over to the Doctor, who took it carefully, touching it lightly. "You just need to be… delicate," he said as he played the small, beautiful instrument. Rose grinned.

"That's gorgeous," she whispered, only the Doctor hearing her. He shot her a soft smile before turning back to the item in his hands.

"It's a musical instrument," Van Statten realized, smiling.

"And it's a long way from home," the Doctor nodded, still playing.

"Here, let me," Van Statten demanded as he reached, plucking it from the Doctor's hands.

"I did say delicate."

The man in charge was obviously butchering it, and Rose winced slightly. It was awful. "It reacts to the smallest fingerprint," the Doctor instructed. "It needs precision."

Van Statten stroked it again, lighter this time, and it played better - not nearly as well as the Doctor, but much better.

"Very good," the Doctor complimented. "Quite the expert."

"As are you," Van Statten commented, and Rose sighed. She wanted to get this over with. She was nervous enough about confronting a Dalek, and she was rather afraid of how it would react to her changed biology, but the TARDIS had hummed earlier in comfort, and she felt a bit better about the fact that she wouldn't destroy the world.

The man threw the instrument to the floor and the Doctor's smile turned to a frown, as did Rose's. "Who exactly are you?"

"I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose," the Doctor introduced, grabbing Rose's hand. "Who are you?"

"Like you don't know!" the man scoffed. "We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of extraterrestrial artifacts in the world, and you two just stumbled in by mistake."

The Doctor shared a look with Rose and gave the man a tight, slightly amused smile. "Pretty much sums us up, yeah."

"Question is, how did you get in?" Van Statten walked over, in front of the pair, his hands in his pockets in a non-threatening way - something that both Rose and the Doctor knew was absolute bullshit. "Fifty-three floors down, with your little cat burglar accomplice. Quite a collector yourself," he said, his eyes roaming over her body. "She's rather pretty."

"She's gonna smack you if you look at her like that again," Rose snapped, his words grating against her thin patience. "I am a person, thank you very much. And I have a name, I'm not an object for your pleasure so I'd appreciate it if you'd kindly _fuck off_."

The Doctor snorted.

"She's English, too!" Van Statten laughed, ignoring her harsh words. Rose's ire must've been strong enough for the Doctor to feel because he grabbed her hand sent calming waves over their bond. Rose didn't listen as Van Statten got Adam's attention, knowing what was being said anyway.

"This is mister Henry Van Statten," Adam said, and Rose cringed both at Adam and Van Statten.

"Yeah, okay, but who is he?" Rose asked, rolling her eyes.

"Mister Van Statten owns the internet."

Rose laughed out loud. "Okay."

"Really, he does," Adam said, getting defensive. Rose wondered why she couldn't see him for the idiot he was the first time around.

"So," the Doctor interrupted, glancing between Rose and Adam and feeling the tension coming from Rose, but addressing Van Statten again. "You're an expert in just about everything, except for the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock up."

"You claim greater knowledge?"

"I don't need to make claims," the Doctor shook his head. "I know how good I am."

"And yet I captured you," Van Statten gloated. "Right next to the cage. What were you doing down there?"

"You tell me."

"The cage contains my one living specimen."

"Is that because you killed the rest?" Rose snapped, thinking back to the alien bits they'd seen earlier.

"We didn't kill all of them," he replied sharply, like answering her was a waste of his time. "Most arrived dead."

"And you had to kill the rest, just for this great big museum. What's this last one? Which one is so important that you don't want to kill yet?"

"Like you two don't know," Van Statten scoffed.

"Show me," the Doctor interrupted.

"You wanna see it?"

Rose gripped the Doctor's hand tightly.

 _I'm not coming with. I'm gonna wander around, see what else they've got._

She only got a small, stiff nod in return, and she knew he didn't like the idea, but she couldn't go with him.

"Goddard! Inform the Cage we're heading down," the man snapped, and the curly haired woman nodded silently. "You, English. Look after the girl. Go and canoodle or spoon or whatever it is you British do."

"I have a name, you filthy piece of-,"

"Let's go," the Doctor interrupted, shooting her a look.

Rose muttered a few choice words in the Doctor's language - their language - and the Doctor coughed to suppress a laugh before following the cocky American out of the room, leaving Rose behind with a silent warning to be safe.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"I am alone in the universe," the Dalek said, and the Doctor took solace in that fact. "But so are you, Doctor. We are the same."

The Doctor felt something in the back of his head. Annoyance. Rose was annoyed, and he wasn't alone.

"No," he said, much calmer than he'd felt two seconds ago. "We are not the same."

"But you said everyone is gone," the Dalek replied. "So we are the same."

"You are alone," the Doctor told the Dalek. "But I'm not."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Sorry about the mess," Adam said as they moved into his room, junk piled all over. Rose recognized about five different highly dangerous alien weapons from her time at Torchwood and sighed. She knew that they didn't blow up the building the first time, but she couldn't help but be nervous around them this time, knowing what they were.

She'd gained a large amount of alien knowledge in her time in Pete's world because, way back in 1860, the rift had eventually been opened, but it hadn't been closed. They'd gotten rid of the Gelth, but the rift there was always constantly active, like a piercing in space and time instead of an open wound that can heal somewhat.

"Mister Van Statten sort of lets me do my own thing," Adam explained, and she really didn't care enough to listen as she counted the number of dangerous or possibly unstable alien artifacts in the room. She gasped as she saw something sitting next to a different item from another race, and rushed over to pick it up and move it. They could easily set each other off and not only destroy the building but with both of them, likely the planet.

"You don't know what any of this does, do you?" She asked as she set one power cell down very carefully on a mostly empty shelf. She was getting irritated again. She could feel the panic coming from the Doctor and stomped down the urge to run to him right then.

"Not… as such," he replied. "But I'm figuring it out." He picked up the same item as last time, something she recognized now as a part of an energy converter from a Judoon ship. "What do you think that is?"

"Part of an energy converter," she replied, snatching it from his hands. "And most of this is too dangerous for Van Statten to have, especially when he's got someone working on it that doesn't know anything about anything."

"Hey!" Adam took a step back, his fragile ego offended. "I know… things."

"Yeah, like that instrument that channels fuel?" Rose shook her head. "Look, these things are just too dangerous and unstable."

"I know what I'm doing," he replied with a huff. "I'm a genius."

Rose coughed, trying not to laugh as an image of the boy in front of her with a hole in his head popped into her mind.

"Sorry, but it's true. Van Statten has agents all over the world looking for geniuses to recruit. I can't help it, I was born clever. When I was eight, I logged onto the US defense system. Nearly caused World War Three."

"And you think that's funny?"

"You should've been there. Just to see them running about. Fantastic!"

"Yeah, would've been real funny if a war started and people died because you wanted a laugh," Rose snapped, disgusted. "But good thing you had fun, right?"

Adam turned around, touching things on his desk, obviously hoping to change the subject so he could flirt with her easily. "So, are you and the Doctor…?"

"Does it matter?" Rose raised an eyebrow. "I'm not available if that's what you're asking."

She saw the boy physically deflate and changed the subject. "So, what's in that cage?"

"Well, I did ask, but Mister Van Statten keeps it to himself," Adam shrugged. "Although, if you're a genius, it doesn't take long to patch through on the comms system."

Rose gave him a smile for the first time that day.

"Let's have a look, then."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose gasped, doubling over in pain as _something_ happened. It passed after just a moment, and she could feel Adam's hand on her back, his words not quite reaching her ears but she did appreciate the worry. She took a few deep breaths - after realizing she hadn't been breathing. Respiratory bypass was pretty helpful - and straightened again, ignoring Adam's questions.

Something was happening with the Doctor.

It had to be. He'd told her they would feel each other's physical pain, and he'd showed an example by pricking his finger with a needle and then pricking hers. There was a distinct tingle when the pain wasn't actually your own, and she knew this was his.

The pain hit again, just as they reached an elevator, and she gasped once more but stayed upright. She focused on her breathing - box breathing, the kind she used for panic attacks - and kept her eyes shut as it passed once more.

The Doctor hadn't told her about being hurt before, and she was distinctly panicked now. What if she'd changed something? What if he was dying?

It hit once again and she let out a whimper now but continued walking, Adam chasing after her. He grabbed her shoulder, and Rose, a bit out of it, grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm, turning. She blinked as she looked at him.

"Oh," she gasped. She released his wrist and he straightened, holding his arm to his chest. "Sorry. I'm- sorry."

"Are you okay?" he asked, and she appreciated his concern. He wasn't a completely awful person, but she still couldn't stand him.

"I'm fine, but we need to hurry," she said, and she didn't fake the urgency in her voice. She was too worried about the Doctor. "They're torturing that poor thing."

And so, just a few minutes later, they arrived at the cage. Adam got them in easily, and Rose walked into the cage, pausing as he tried to follow her. "This could be dangerous. Stay out here, okay?"

Adam, ever the coward, nodded. She turned around as the door was shut behind her and stared at the Dalek, chained up and held prisoner.

"Hello, Dalek," she whispered, more out of trepidation than fear or need to be quiet.

"You know who I am," the Dalek said, a mix between a question and a statement.

"My name's Rose Tyler, and I've got a friend. We can help you."

"I am in pain," the Dalek said. "They torture me, but still they fear me. Do you fear me?"

"Not yet," Rose replied. "You haven't given me reason to yet."

"I am dying."

"Maybe we can help."

"I welcome death," the Dalek replied. "The Doctor said he was not alone, and he was wrong. You are different from him."

"Not by much," Rose replied shortly. "Please, we can help you."

"I am glad," the Dalek answered. "That before I die, I met someone who was not afraid."

"Can't I do anything?" Rose asked, hating herself for it. But she knew this Dalek wasn't all bad in the end.

"You are the Abomination," the Dalek told her. "You can do anything. But I wish for death. Give me death."

Rose gasped softly at the name. She'd been called that before, but not by this Dalek. Taking a deep breath, she reached out to the Dalek, having taken her leather jacket off earlier before they'd left the TARDIS - she knew it would be hot in there, and she didn't want to lose the jacket. She loved it and it felt special to her. Her hand fell on the Dalek and she felt her respiratory bypass kick in as the air was sucked out of her, pain lacing through her veins. She didn't let go, rather she held on longer, wondering how much it would affect the Dalek if she kept holding. After about thirty seconds, the pain was too much and she pulled away, holding onto her wrist with her other hand. A quick glance down at it showed her a burned hand and she cringed but otherwise ignored it.

"Genetic material extrapolated," the Dalek said, turning. "Initiate cellular reconstruction!"

A man walked in with a gun, the same man that tortured the Dalek, and glared at Rose. "What the hell have you done?"

He moved over to the Dalek, but Rose grabbed his arm. "Don't!" He ignored her, shaking her arm off and approaching the alien.

"What are you gonna do? Sucker me to death?"

The Dalek apparently thought that was a wonderful idea.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

 _ **Protect her!**_

The Doctor ran toward the computers, his hearts beating violently as Rose's fear reached him through their bond.

 _ **Protect her!**_

They were all stupid, and not listening to him, but he saw Rose and she was alive, but she was in danger and-

 _ **Protect her!**_

He told them just exactly how unsafe they were but they wouldn't listen, the cocky humans that they were. And Rose was holding her hand and he could see that it was hurt and he'd felt it earlier, and he just needed her _safe_.

And then the door opened and they were shooting at it, and Van Statten was just a greedy idiot, but he already knew that. And there were guns and Daleks and Rose was in the middle of it.

He didn't care that she could regenerate - he didn't want her to go through that. He wanted this Rose, and he wanted her safe.

 _ **Protect her!**_

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Song, take the civilians and get them out alive," a soldier demanded, and Rose's head whipped around as the woman replied.

"You, with me," River Song nodded at her and Adam, moving out of the small room.

"River-," Rose started as they ran, but she was cut off.

"We've only got a minute before cameras are back," the curly haired woman told her as they passed through a group of soldiers.

"What are you _doing_ here?" Rose asked, keeping pace with the mysterious woman.

"I thought you'd like a hand," she replied.

Adam grabbed Rose's hand as they ran - the bad one, shooting pains running through the entire arm now - and pulled it to get her attention. "You _know_ this woman?"

"Yeah," Rose laughed. "Best friend, that is."

It was a joke, but River just looked back at her and winked. "Spoilers."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"They're dispensable, that Dalek is unique," Van Statten snapped, and the Doctor grabbed his hand before he could reach for the mic. Neither of the soldiers behind him tried to stop him.

"No one is dispensable," he snapped. "Not those soldiers and certainly not Rose."

No one fought when he took over, working at the crisis himself now. He ordered all the soldiers to retreat to a safe place and set to work to find Rose and keep an eye on the Dalek.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose, River, and Adam reached the stairs and Rose said nothing but began running up, River following her close behind and Adam going slower but still following. It wasn't long before the Dalek entered the room and Rose said some colorful words in Gallifreyan but otherwise did nothing, still running. Only Adam stopped, looking down at it with glee.

"Great big alien death machine," he laughed. "Defeated by a flight of stairs."

"Yeah, I'm not so sure about that," River replied, reaching down to tug on his arm. "Come on!"

But it was too late. Adam stood still in fear as the Dalek rose into the air and shot him quickly before any of them could react. Rose let out a gasp, horror filling her, but River grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her away, and she let her, running once more.

She could feel the regret later. She was running for her life right now.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose and River found the Dalek again nearly ten minutes later, and five floors up. It was surrounded by a bunch of scientists and soldiers with guns, but Rose knew it was going to kill them all. It shot at the water pipes, and the sprinklers turned on, water pouring everywhere. The plan wasn't that hard to see. It moved higher to get in position to shoot and Rose shook her head, running out into the water.

"Dalek!" She yelled, getting its attention.

"You are the Abomination," the Dalek said, an echo of its earlier words.

"Don't do this," she begged. "Don't kill these people."

"Why not?"

"Because they don't need to die," Rose replied simply. "They've done nothing wrong."

"They held me prisoner," the Dalek reasoned.

"And that was wrong, but that doesn't mean you should kill them."

"What else would I do?"

"You said you wanted to die," Rose answered. "And I bet you are - you're part me now. Not human, not completely time lady, but… special."

"An Abomination," the Dalek supplied, and Rose pressed her lips together. That was really starting to annoy her.

The Dalek's arm moved suddenly and River grabbed Rose's hand and placed it on the vortex manipulator, sending them out of the room just as the Dalek shot it, killing the ten or so people inside.

They were brought to… Rose frowned. It _looked_ like the inside of the TARDIS, but like someone had… redecorated.

"River!" Someone groaned behind her. "You weren't supposed to bring her _here_!"

Rose whipped around and her eyes fell on the man that she'd had a conversation with when she'd just gotten back to that universe. "Doctor."

He gave her a large grin, his eyes taking her in and she wondered why he looked like he hadn't seen her in ages.

She reached to the railing to hold herself up, feeling dizzy from being out of her time, and winced at the pain in her hand. The Doctor gasped and grabbed his own before stalking over to her.

"Did you hurt yourself?"

She gave him a small, sheepish smile. "Touching the Dalek."

He shook his head and muttered something under his breath as he walked out of the room, leaving Rose alone with River.

"So… why am I here?"

"I had to get you out of there fast," River shrugged, leaning against the railing easily. "And you told me that I brought you here."

"And we didn't tell the Doctor?"

"Do you really think he would've agreed to pull you out of your time?"

Rose shook her head, which just made her dizzier. Her mind felt weird like there was someone else there, another… "Oh."

"Hmm?"

"Is there… another _me_ here?"

River grinned. "Spoilers, sweetie."

"Stop flirting," the Doctor grumbled as he walked back into the room, the dermal regenerator in his hand. He switched the settings on it before reaching for her hand. "I used this on Rory yesterday, made a mess with himself with that sword."

Rose hissed as the small tool slowly repaired her skin, and she saw the Doctor's hands shaking slightly as it hurt him, too.

"You'd think after two thousand years with it, he'd be more careful than to fall trying to put it away," River laughed. The Doctor finished the job quickly, but stayed close to Rose, looking closely at her face and hair and generally everything.

"Now," the Doctor started, holding her hand in his. She gripped it tight happily, enjoying how close he was. "Be careful with this hand."

"Yes, sir," Rose laughed softly, winking. He grinned back at her and lifted her hand to his mouth, kissing it softly.

" _I'll see you on the other side, Rose_."

" _Happily, my Doctor_."

And then, very reluctantly, the Doctor let her hand fall to her side and stepped away, River moving to her side instead.

"Good luck, and _try_ not to be so jeopardy friendly, eh?"

Rose just winked as River laughed and pressed a few buttons, sending them back to the right time and, unfortunately, an immediate crisis.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"I shall speak only to the Doctor."

"You're gonna get rusty," he replied snarkily. He didn't see Rose. Was that good or bad?

"I fed off the DNA of the Abomination," the Dalek informed him, and he frowned in confusion. "She calls herself Rose Tyler. Extrapolating the biomass of the goddess of time itself regenerated me."

The Doctor froze. "What? What did you say?"

"I have been searching for the Daleks," it continued, ignoring him.

"Yeah, I saw," he sighed. "Downloading the internet. What did you find?"

"I scanned your satellites and radio telescopes."

"And?"

"Nothing," the Dalek admitted. "I need orders- I need the Abomination!"

"What?"

"Where is she? Where is Rose Tyler?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose grabbed her phone and picked it up. "This isn't the best time."

"Come on, Rose!" River yelled, pulling her along.

"Who is that? Doesn't matter. Where are you?"

"Level forty-nine," she answered, moving quicker.

"You've got to move quicker, the vault is being sealed off at level forty-six."

"Okay," she said, picking up the pace again, River at her heels now.

"I can't wait, Rose, now for God's sake, run!"

Rose rolled her eyes and glanced back at River, covering the phone. "He talks like I'm not already running."

"He's worried about you," the woman pointed out. "Give him a break - it's been a hard day for both of you."

Rose sighed and nodded, still moving as fast as she could. River had a good point. Today was the day the Doctor found out that there were more Daleks out there, and she could feel his dread and horror and self-loathing from a mile away… possibly literally. She could hear them talking about closing the vault, and the doors were in sight.

"Give us two seconds!"

And then they began to close. River slowed down to match her speed, not willing to lose her and leaned over to whisper as they hit a dead end, the bulkheads now closed.

"When the Dalek shoots me, I'm going to use this to leave," she nodded at the vortex manipulator and Rose gave a small nod. She understood that the Doctor couldn't meet her. "I'll see you soon, Rose."

"Thank you, River," she replied, giving the woman a smile.

"Rose, where are you?" the Doctor screamed into the phone. "Rose, did you make it?"

River grabbed her free hand in support and she gave the woman a small smile. "Not quite, I'm afraid. Too slow." She stared as the Dalek approached slowly, and she felt fear spike, though she wasn't sure if it was hers or the Doctor's. "I'll be seeing you, Doctor."

And with that, she ended the call.

The Dalek screamed at her and shot at River, and the woman disappeared, her hand slipping out of Rose's just a moment before. Rose winced as the beam hit the door, and hoped River was okay.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"The _prize of your collection_?" the Doctor screamed, his eyes burning with the weight of the Oncoming Storm. His only hope was that Rose could regenerate in time, but he knew the Dalek could just kill her before she could. It would be patient. It would wait for her to run out. "Was it worth it? All those men's deaths? _Rose_?"

The look on Van Statten's face told him that he'd likely do it all again.

"Let me tell you something, Van Statten," he hissed, moving about as the frustration and anger and grief welled up inside of him. He pushed all those feelings, _anything_ he felt down as far as he could and ignored it as best as he could because Rose was _dead_. "Mankind goes into space to explore. To be part of something greater."

"Exactly! I wanted to touch the stars," the man replied, defending himself, and the Doctor huffed, disgusted.

"You just want to drag the stars down and stick them underground underneath tons of sand and dirt, and label them," the Doctor snapped. "You're about as far from the stars as you can get!"

He paused as he felt something, something small in the back of his mind just _screaming_ at him and let himself listen to it.

It was Rose. Rose's… not fear, but emotion, maybe… anxiety. He didn't blame her, of course, considering she was with a Dalek, but that meant…

"She's alive," he whispered.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"I am armed," the Dalek exclaimed. "I will kill."

"But you won't," Rose said, shaking her head. "You could've easily killed me by now, but you haven't. You can't."

"I will kill!"

"Then do it!" Rose demanded, and the Dalek moved a little, obviously frustrated. "Kill me, Dalek. But you better have a while, because I'll just keep coming back."

"I feel your fear."

"I told you earlier, I wasn't afraid because you hadn't given me any reason to be. But now you've killed my friends, and you're threatening me. Of course, I'm afraid of you," she paused, tilting her head a little. "But that's not the problem, is it? You said you can _feel_ my fear."

"Daleks do not fear, must not fear!" It screamed, shooting to her right. She stayed very still as it shot to her left before calming down a little. "You gave me life. What else have you given me? I am contaminated by the Abomination! I cannot live, should not live!"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Open the bulkhead or the Abomination dies."

The Doctor stared at the image of Rose standing in her blue dress and pink shoes, looking not afraid, but annoyed. A grin broke out on his face, regardless of the Dalek standing next to her and threatening her.

"I thought you were dead," he told her, some of his vulnerability leaking through.

"I told you I'd be seeing you," she joked, winking at him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hug her or yell at her.

"Open the bulkhead!" the Dalek interrupted, sounding more and more impatient.

"Doctor, it's okay," she soothed. "I'll be okay."

"What use are emotions," the Dalek started, sounding smug. "If you will not save the woman you love?"

The Doctor's brain stopped even as his hearts sped up and he _wished_ he hadn't heard that.

"It's okay Doctor," Rose gave him a soft smile.

He looked at Van Statten firmly and watched as the man sat back in his seat. "I killed her once. I'm not doing it again."

He stepped over to the computer and pressed enter.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Don't kill him!" Rose begged, reaching out to the Dalek quickly. She hated the man in front of her but he didn't deserve to die, just like Adam hadn't. "There must be something else, not just killing. What else is there? What do you want?"

The Dalek looked between her and Van Statten. "I want… freedom."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Never thought I'd feel the sunlight again," Rose said honestly. Because she hadn't known how the difference in biology would affect the Dalek, and she hadn't been sure if she'd make it out.

"How does it feel?" the Dalek asked, and she turned to look at it.

"Like a universe of opportunity," she answered. It was true, too. She felt the sunlight and she felt free again like she could travel the universe and discover _everything_.

The Dalek responded by opening its casing and revealing itself, something the Doctor had once told her was something any sane Dalek _never_ did - only the ones that had lost their minds would open up.

"Get out of the way!"

Rose whipped around to find the Doctor pointing a very large gun in her direction.

"No."

"Rose, move," he replied raising the gun.

"Is this who we are now? Guns and threats?" She shook her head quietly but stayed where she was. "Doctor, look at it. It won't kill anymore. It's dying."

"That thing killed hundreds of people," he defended, still not lowering the really _very_ large gun.

"It isn't the one pointing the gun at me," she replied softly. The Doctor paused for a moment, but he wasn't deterred that easily.

"I've got to do this, I've got to end it-,"

"It's already over!" Rose interrupted. "It's almost dead, it'll be over so soon Doctor. Do you want to end it with a gun in your hands?"

The Doctor looked down at himself and she could feel the horror, but he still didn't back down. "That thing killed my people, my planet. I've got nothing."

"You've got me, Doctor!" Rose snapped. "You'll always have me." She stepped slightly to the side so he could see the Dalek. "Just look at it."

The Doctor did as she said, reeling at her words. His eyes wandered over the frankly pathetic creature. "What's it doing?"

"It just wanted to feel the sun," Rose told him, her voice calming.

"But it can't-,"

"It couldn't kill Van Statten, and it couldn't kill me. It changed," Rose gave him a hard look. "Its species might've killed yours, ours, but ours killed its. You said it was war, Doctor. Nobody is right in war."

He couldn't help but admit that she was right. Nobody had been right. In fact, in the end, the Time Lords had scared him far more than the Daleks. He stared at her, pain shining in his eyes. "Oh, Rose. They're all dead."

"I know," she whispered, her voice soft. And he knew she truly did. She felt how _empty_ her head was and she'd never felt it how it was supposed to be - full and loud and _complete_. She just had an empty, gaping hole in her mind and his grief expanded to include her, for the loss she didn't know she'd suffered.

"Why do we survive?" the Dalek asked, interrupting his rampant thoughts.

"I don't know," he answered honestly.

"I am the last of the Daleks."

"You're not even that," the Doctor told him. "Rose did more than regenerate you. You absorbed her DNA. You're mutating."

"Into what?"

"Something new," he answered, pausing. "I'm sorry."

"I can feel… so many ideas," the Dalek said, addressing Rose. "Everything… you could use the Bad Wolf for… Your entire future, and your past, all of it in darkness… Rose, give me orders. Order me to die."

The Doctor could feel the pain coming from Rose, but he could tell she understood what she had to do. He thought about what the Dalek had said, but only briefly, too distracted by the enemy in front of him.

"Okay," she spoke softly, reaching to touch its flesh. "I'm so sorry."

"Order my destruction!" the Dalek commanded, sounding more like a Dalek than it had since the Doctor had arrived.

"Yeah. Okay," Rose sighed, taking a deep breath. "Exterminate yourself."

"I am frightened," it told her, and she backed up as it rose into the air. "Exterminate!"

And then, just like that, it was dead.

The Doctor stood completely still and quiet until he felt Rose gently pry the gun from his hands, setting it carefully on the floor. She filled the newly empty hand with her own hand, and he felt himself take in a deep breath.

His mind was racing, but it was slowed by the girl at his side.

And with that, the pair made their way quickly out of the hellish museum, the Doctor setting them in the Vortex so they could rest.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	10. Visitors From The Dead

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Okay, so I looked through my old A/Ns and it seems that I forgot to let you guys know that I'll be focusing on mental health. Either I forgot, or I decided after my last chapter… which is entirely possible. I do have a pretty shitty memory.

So in this chapter, we'll address Rose's specific mental health issues that are obvious as of now. I'm not certain if more will pop up later, it's just sort of how her recovery goes and all of that.

We also see the Doctor's pain in this one, which has been sorely lacking thus far, and I apologize for that! I keep getting distracted (my worst issue when writing!) and forgetting.

Hopefully we can take a break from the drama after this chapter and the next - they were supposed to be one chapter at first, but they became too much for one, so I split them in two - and go back to episodes. I definitely wanna get through Long Game and Father's Day rather quickly, as they've changed a bit.

Something you might like to know about me is that I write chapters and post them as soon as I can, or after my beta gives it the go ahead… unless I'm feeling both confident and impatient. So I'm writing as quick as I can and giving you what I have, when I have it.

Oh! Something important to know is that the timeline of Torchwood has been changed a bit. I believe it started in 2007, and that's when Suzie died and Gwen joined them, but in this, things with Suzie and the glove happened sooner for the purposes of the story. Also, Gwen will not be joining Torchwood, because the situation in which she ran into them will never have happened. Future Rose visits often enough to help when they need a hand - which I might very well make into a side fic when I get to it - so Gwen is unnecessary.

Anyway, enough of my rambling.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: nightmares, aggressive reactions to nightmares/PTSD, abuse, talk of murder, talk of suicidal ideology, brief mention of cuts, generally not valuing one's life to a suicidal state.

I don't know if I need to warn about the mental health issues mentioned, but I'll give you a head's up real quick, just in case. I'd always rather be too cautious than someone get hurt by my fic.

Mentions: depression, anxiety, panic disorder, ptsd, chronic derealization.

Okay! That's about it. Enjoy! And as always, let me know if I've missed any trigger warnings and I'll add them right away.

Visitors From The Dead

Rose woke to a scream in her head, and she knew it wasn't her own.

She hopped out of bed and pulled a robe on over her pyjamas and ran to the Doctor's room, which had conveniently been placed across from hers. She pulled open the door quietly and shut it behind her after moving into the room. A quick glance around showed the Doctor in bed, fidgeting in his sleep.

She could still hear the screaming in her head, and it was like echos of something that she should know. Would've known. Whispers of the dead from someone else's memory, from the Doctor's memory.

She moved over to him and placed a hand on his arm, saying his name at the same time.

Things happened quickly, too quickly for her to easily process in her tired state.

The Doctor woke suddenly and grabbed her arm, gripping it painfully and shoved her back. He moved faster than she thought anyone that had just been asleep had any right to, but she didn't have much time to consider it as he shoved her to the floor and placed his arm on her throat, pinning her arms down with his body at the same time.

She wasn't sure what was happening, but she knew what to do.

She didn't fight, and didn't move. She just laid there, the only movement a slight wince and the only sound a quiet whimper of pain. The Doctor stared at her for a long time, too long, and she felt confusion and… anger?

Slowly, he removed his arm from her throat and she gasped slightly and took a shaky breath in. The respiratory bypass was helpful, but even so, she had to breathe eventually and she'd been nearing that point.

There was a tense silence for a long moment before she spoke, looking directly at him, his eyes, because she got the distinct feeling of shame and maybe that same anger as before, which she still didn't understand. "Are you okay?"

The Doctor blinked at her.

"Am I okay?" He scoffed, and she could tell he was only angrier, and maybe more bitter now than before. "Rose, I could've killed you."

"You didn't," she shrugged. "I'd have come back anyway."

"But I could've," he insisted. "If you'd- if you had moved, or fought, or struggled, I might've."

Rose laughed softly. "I know when I can fight and when I can't. Even if I'd thought it was a good idea - which I didn't - I know you're much stronger than me. And you stopped, in the end."

He stared at her like she was crazy, and she shifted under his gaze. He might've removed his arm but he was still pinning her to the floor, and it was starting to hurt. She wasn't surprised he couldn't feel it. She knew the feeling of uncomfortable adrenalin that came after a horrible nightmare, and she knew it could last a while. "Doctor…"

"How can you not care?" he asked her, his voice hard. "I've killed people, Rose, don't you understand that?"

"Of course I do, but-,"

"I was a soldier, I fought in a war. I killed too many people, too many realities and too many worlds. I commited genocide ten times over by fighting in that war, and I could've killed you!"

"Doctor-," Rose winced as he accidentally pushed on her arm with emphasis, and she felt something pop in an unnatural way, fresh pain blooming through her. She was pretty certain he'd broken it, even on accident, but she pushed on, focusing on the very important moment they were having.

"And you don't care!" he snarled at her, his eyes wild with memories of war and atrocities that haunted him.

"Do you want me to be afraid of you, Doctor?" Rose's voice was soft, and she refused to yell like he was, and it was much too controlled and calm in the Doctor's opinion.

"You should be!"

"Do you want me to be?" Rose asked again. "Because I've spent a lot of time being afraid. Too many years. But I said it to the Dalek, Doctor. I wasn't afraid of it because it hadn't given me reason to be."

"But I have-,"

"No you haven't," she shook her head firmly, twisting slightly under the pressure of his body but keeping her arm as still as possible. Her chest hurt from the weight, but she ignored it. "It's all about intent. Did you intend to hurt me? Did you, knowing I was there, mean to try and hurt me?"

"No, but-,"

"No, Doctor, it's my turn. Because you see yourself as a monster, I get that. But that is not how I see you, and I never will. Not until you intend to hurt me on purpose. Because you want to cause me harm." She took a deep, shaky breath and gave him as much of a smile as she could. "I see that darkness in you, Doctor, and it doesn't scare me."

The Doctor stared at her, and she knew he could feel the honesty and sincerity in her words and she knew he was so confused by it. He shifted slightly, having forgotten their position, and she gasped, pain shooting up her arm as another audible pop sounded, the Doctor hearing it this time.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he quickly rolled off of her and turned on the light right away to look at her arm. "Rose…" it didn't look like anything was wrong with it, but he touched it and she winced, pulling it back to her body.

"It's not that bad," she shrugged before he could say anything.

"I hurt you."

"I've been hurt worse before," she shook her head, brushing off his comment. His eyes widened and she realized her mistake. She sighed a little. "I'm serious. And I'm not upset."

"Maybe you should be."

"Why?"

The Doctor looked at her like she was crazy. "I don't understand how you can be so… careless, Rose. You almost died. Doesn't that matter to you?"

She thought about how she was always so close to death, not just from the danger of running with the Doctor, but because of the way her life went before the Doctor. A familiar feeling that she could never quite put into words crept up on her and she stomped down on it before the Doctor could catch a hint of it.

"No."

At that, the Doctor went silent, and she could feel the gears turning in his mind. She felt the need to change the subject, quickly before he kept asking questions - the same sort of uncomfortable urgency she'd felt when he'd been digging into her past.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked quietly.

"To- what?" the Doctor frowned at her. "Talk about what?"

"The nightmare," she answered, like it was obvious, though his mind was somewhere else entirely now. "The war."

He stared for a long moment at her. His immediate instinct was to say no, to change the subject and never talk about it again, the way any traumatized mind would, but a part of him, some traitorous part, thought that it would be… nice to get some of it, any of it off his chest.

So he stood up and reached for her hand - noting the fact that she ignored it and stood carefully without using her injured left arm - and they moved to a couch that hadn't been in the room when he'd gone to sleep. He made a mental note to fix her arm later. She was rather good at holding it close and not moving it, but he had a feeling it was broken, a thought he didn't want to dwell on. In the end, the TARDIS put bandaged and a sling on the table in front of the couch, and he wrapped up her arm silently before settling into the couch.

When they were sitting comfortably, he looked directly at her, making nearly uncomfortable eye contact. If she wanted to let him talk, he was going to watch her, and pay attention to her. He needed to watch the moment he became disgusted by him.

So he began.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

In the end, he'd told her bits and pieces, jumping around where he could because it had been a really very long war that lasted longer than he could even remember. He'd started probably near the middle because he couldn't really remember the beginning as well, mostly because he didn't need to. It was nowhere near as bad at the beginning. It had only gotten worse when they'd brought Rassilon back, and he tore apart the War Councils and put himself solely in charge of everything, along with a few of his twisted followers.

He'd watched Rose the entire time as he told her about launching a world of fourteen billion into the Void to kill one enemy - an admittedly rather dangerous one, but that didn't excuse the number.

And the most frustrating thing, was that she hadn't been horrified or afraid or disgusted. No, rather, she'd cried. And he felt her grief for those lost people as clearly as he felt his own.

He told her about anything he could think of and will himself to say aloud that he thought would horrify her, or make her want to leave. Not because he wanted her to, but because he knew that she would, once she knew everything.

But in the end, she just cried, and held his hand, and she hadn't said she was sorry because there's no being sorry for something like that. She'd simply hurt with him and grieved with him as he let some of it out, confessing his sins to the small, fantastic woman at his side who, he was starting to realize, really and truly wasn't afraid of him.

It wasn't much, but that night, his hearts healed just a tiny bit, as they had been since he met her.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It was nearly three quiet days later when the Doctor found himself sitting alone in the library, Rose having gone to try and unearth one of the swimming pools. He'd wished her luck, but privately thought it a lost cause.

Just as it had for the past three days, his mind fell on his late night encounter with Rose. Something about the way she'd acted had unnerved him, something during the conversation about death.

"You almost died, doesn't that matter to you?"

"No."

He'd repeated those words in his head over and over, and it only made him more nervous. She had sounded like she meant it, she genuinely didn't care if she died, and it scared him. He hadn't had a talk with Rose about not wasting her regenerations, or risking her own health under the mind that she could just regenerate, but he had a strong suspicion that wasn't her problem.

And when he'd begun to bring it up with her, she'd gotten deeply uncomfortable and made an excuse to leave the room.

The Doctor had plenty of thoughts on the matter but none of them made him feel any better.

He was completely aware that her mental health wasn't great. She didn't talk about it, but he could sometimes feel her just getting anxious and, every once in awhile, having a panic attack. And when he really paid attention, he could feel this… emotional hole in her. Sometimes she'd have absolutely no energy, and she hadn't slept for more than a total of five hours since she'd changed, which wouldn't be bad if it hadn't been nearly a month. So, the Doctor had realized that Rose was depressed.

He also wondered on this lingering feeling he'd noticed from her constantly. It was odd, and sort of hard to describe, but often caused a significant amount of anxiety. The best way he could describe it was like she felt like the world wasn't real. It only took him a little research to get a name for it.

Chronic derealization.

He wasn't particularly surprised she had it, after his research. From what he could tell, it came after significant stress or trauma in your life and sort of changed your brain so that nothing felt real, almost like a way to protect itself. He knew it often also made people, friends or family or significant others seem fake and dream like as well, and figured she probably had that as well. He knew that this feeling of everything being fake caused extreme anxiety in her, and he didn't blame her. He wasn't sure how well he'd handle constantly wondering what was actually real, either.

And that wasn't even getting into the countless symptoms of PTSD that she had, though that certainly didn't surprise him.

And all of that was just what he could easily notice.

He'd never had a companion with mental health issues like this before, but he also knew she was more than a companion, and it shouldn't be ignored. He knew how serious it could be and he knew he wasn't perfect in that arena, either. He certainly had his fair share of PTSD, among other issues.

He was jolted out of his worrying thoughts by the sound of Rose walking into the library. He looked up to find her in a bikini with a cover up on, and figured she'd found the pool. Her hair was wet and hanging carelessly around her face.

"Where was it?" he asked, genuinely curious and a tad bitter. He hadn't been able to find it in decades.

"It was just a few halls down from the wardrobe," Rose said, shrugging. The Doctor narrowed his eyes.

"The TARDIS-,"

"I figured she did," Rose nodded. "What're you in here brooding about?"

"I am not brooding," he denied, offended. Rose just rolled her eyes and sat next to him, pulling her loose cover up tighter around her. "I'm just… thinking."

"Care to share with the class?"

"Rose," he started slowly. "You do know that you shouldn't… waste regenerations, right?"

She frowned at him, suddenly very lost. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… you shouldn't take unnecessary risks. It may seem like you've got plenty of life to spare, but it runs out quick and then that's the end."

"Yeah, I know."

"Are you sure?" he asked, frowning at her.

"Yeah, it's not like I want to regenerate. It's just nice knowing it's there, if I ever get into serious trouble."

The Doctor was quiet. He'd figured that wasn't her problem, but he didn't have a clue how to address the only other conclusion he'd come to.

His only idea was to be blunt.

"Do you want to die?"

Rose froze, and the Doctor wasn't even sure she was breathing. "What?"

He could feel that echo of a very trapped feeling from Rose and as much as he wished it weren't true, he felt like he'd figured it out.

He didn't answer her, and just waited instead. He could feel her getting increasingly more uncomfortable and panicked by the question before an anxious defeat settled in between the other feelings.

"Not really," she refused to make eye contact and he realized she was ashamed. She spoke quickly, like she just wanted it over with. "I just… I don't know. It's not like I'd ever go out of my way to be in dangerous situations, or get hurt, or anything. And it isn't like I'd…" she paused as he thought back to the time she had tried exactly what she was saying she wouldn't. "Not anymore. It's just sometimes, I think about it, and it doesn't sound so bad. It's just... thinking," she assured him, and it definitely didn't make him feel better.

"Rose-,"

"I'm fine," she insisted, much too quickly, her panicked tone betraying her.

"You're not. You have at least five disorders or other mental health issues alone, and that's not including this… suicidal ideology."

She winced at the term, but he didn't care. She had to admit to herself what it was.

"Have you ever gotten help, or been diagnosed?"

She shrugged lightly and he took that as a firm no. He wasn't particularly surprised - she had said she wasn't able to see a therapist after Jimmy.

"I spent some time studying psychology," he told her. "I was trapped on earth and had nothing else to do. Didn't read the stuff from that time though, cause it was rubbish. I did happen to have plenty of books in here," he waved around them. "I found it fascinating. Spent a long time after that, just studying the mind."

"Okay," she said slowly, looking at him cautiously.

"I could help you," he offered, and he saw the immediate denial forming, so he spoke again. "Like you're helping me."

That stopped her completely, and he could tell she was considering it.

"Rose, you've got a general anxiety disorder, panic disorder, chronic depersonalization, major depressive disorder, PTSD," the Doctor paused as he saw the defensive look on her face completely drop, leaving her just looking tired. "There might be more. But you'll never get better if you never try."

"That's just… so much."

"Which is why you need to work on it," he told her.

She just sighed softly, and he gave her a small smile.

"You will get better."

He knew she didn't believe him, but he was determined to help her. She would get better.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose requested a stop home to see her mother, and the Doctor agreed. He knew they'd need to explain everything to Jackie eventually, and Rose had explained that she didn't want to do it in the middle of an emergency, which he knew was a fair concern.

Rose popped into the room, and he glanced at her new outfit. She'd taken to dressing generally however she wanted. Some days she wore loose, flowing dresses and some days, like that day, she wore tight, ripped jeans with a dark top that said "On Wednesdays, We Smash The Patriarchy," the words surrounded by a blue and pink floral pattern, and her leather jacket, combat boots finishing off the look. She generally looked rather intimidating, and he figured it was fair considering who they were going to visit.

The Doctor explained everything he was doing once more, trying to go about the long process of teaching her how to fly the TARDIS. He could always just give her the memories, and he was still considering it, but there was a learning curve and he wanted to help her.

After an exceedingly smooth landing, and minimal grumbling from the Doctor, the pair made their way out of the TARDIS.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"What do you mean, you're not human anymore?" Jackie screamed, her eyes wide. Rose winced at the volume and sighed, readying herself for a long conversation.

"I mean, I'm like the Doctor now," she said, already tired. She wasn't entirely sure how she was supposed to explain all of it, considering so much of it had to do with things that, for Jackie, never happened or hadn't happened yet. She thought back to what the Doctor had told her about what he would modify his memory to.

The Doctor thought that the TARDIS had taken a special interest in her and, one day when Jimmy had gone too far and actually killed her, saved her by bringing her into her heart. She wasn't entirely sure what else he thought on the matter, so she needed to be very careful.

"What exactly is he, anyway?"

"A Time Lord," the Doctor answered. He'd tried to get out of helping her answer questions, but she'd pointed out that she didn't know as much as him, regardless of how much reading she'd done on their species, and he'd conceded.

"Yeah, thanks," Jackie scoffed. "Useless, he is."

"Stop it, mum," Rose sighed. "It's like human, but… more."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It just means biologically," she said quickly, calming the anger that had risen quickly to the surface. "We have two hearts, and special lungs, and our minds are different."

"How did this happen?" Jackie looked between the pair, noting how much more comfortable they were around each other compared to the last visit. "What did he do to you?"

"Nothing!" Rose threw her head back. "It… it wasn't his fault. I was in danger, and his machine, the TARDIS, she saved me, but it changed me. It made me like him."

"Is that why your eyes are like that?"

Rose nodded, grateful for the easy out. Jackie had gotten pretty upset when Rose wouldn't explain it the last time they'd been there, and she was glad for the woman's forgetful mind - forgetting that she'd said she'd only recently changed.

She shared a look with the Doctor. They'd agreed to give as little information as possible, and certainly avoid telling the woman about the long life span Rose had ahead of her.

"I'm not a different person, mum," she soothed, and she knew that was exactly what Jackie had been afraid of. "I'm still me, still your daughter. I'm just… a little more, now."

The conversation continued with little drama after that, and Rose wondered at how well it had gone.

So, of course, someone appeared in the living room, wrapping an arm around her before immediately somehow popping them out of the small flat, leaving her mother annoyed and worried, and the Doctor simply terrified.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose fell out of her kidnapper's arms as the trip ended, and she doubled over, the familiar feeling of time travel without a capsule not the only thing that was making her feel sick.

She looked up and locked eyes with her best friend.

Jack didn't smile, or reach for her to hug her - not that she wanted one, after the stunt he'd just pulled - but rather looked extremely nervous and… apologetic. "Rosie, I am so sorry."

"Yeah, I'm not sure how we're supposed to explain this to anyone," she muttered, righting herself. She frowned as she found it was painful to some unknown part of her to look directly at Jack and settled for the wall behind him.

They were in Torchwood again, and this time in his office. "No, Rose," the man sighed, rubbing his face. "I came to get you as soon as I realized you were on earth."

"Why?"

"Because you're not safe," he answered, tense. She frowned up at him and waited for him to reply, which only took a moment. He looked completely ashamed, and she felt her gut twist, anxiety overcoming her.

"Jack, what happened?"

"It's Jimmy," he said quietly. "He escaped."

Rose felt her stomach flip at the words, and panic filled her. "What?"

"We had this girl working with us, Suzie," he began, throwing himself into the explanation. "And we had this… glove. It brought people back to life, but just for a few seconds. She was the only one that could make it work." Jack paused, and Rose set herself into a chair to listen, suddenly very dizzy from her shallow breathing. "We had an emergency, a group of about five Weevils murdering people in the city, so we had to leave almost right after you left. Suzie stayed behind. She said she wasn't feeling well." Rose could tell how frustrated her friend was and she tried to console him, but the words wouldn't leave her mouth, so she just listened.

"Turns out, she'd been killing people to get control of the glove," Jack sighed. "She went down to kill Jimmy, and opened the cell and he overpowered her. He escaped. We found her with a knife and the glove, locked in the cell. It wasn't too hard to put together, but we couldn't find Jimmy. Anywhere."

"He knows how to hide," was all Rose said, keeping her eyes down not only because it still hurt to look at him, but also because she knew how bad he felt and couldn't handle making it worse by him seeing how scared she was.

"I'm so sorry, Rosie-,"

"It's okay, Jack," she shook her head, pulling herself out of the seat. "I'm always gonna be afraid of him, even if he's dead."

"Rose-,"

"I'm not upset with you," she promised, forcing herself to make eye contact. Somehow that was even more painful and uncomfortable. "Really, Jack, it's fine. I appreciate the warning."

"We'll keep looking for him," her friend promised, and she could tell he was more comforting himself than her.

"Don't bother," she shrugged. "You won't find him."

"Rosie-,"

"You should probably take me home, or near home. The Doctor is probably out to kill you by now."

Jack nodded, resigned, but gently grabbed her face, and she looked at him again as he spoke. "I promise, Rosie. I won't give up. You're the last family I've got. I won't let him hurt you again."

She gave him a weak smile and kissed his cheek lightly. "I love you, Jack. Now please, take me home."

And so, her best friend did as she said, leaving her a five minute walk from her mum's flat, but staying close enough to see her the entire time.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

When Rose walked back in the flat, the Doctor only felt a little better, having been assured of her physical safety.

He'd made an excuse to Jackie, explaining that his TARDIS had malfunctioned or something of the sort - he honestly hadn't really cared what he said and only wanted her to shut up.

But now that she was back, he could see how drained she was. It was like someone had taken anything positive out of her and replaced it with… fear, and dread.

He'd sent Jackie off to run an errand. What it was, he wasn't sure, but it left him alone when the blonde girl walked back in.

He jumped to his feet and ran to the door, wrapping her in his arms. She accepted the hug quickly, holding him nearly as tight as he held her.

They stood like that for a couple long minutes before she pulled back and moved into the living room to sit on the couch. He followed her and sat to her left, waiting for the explanation.

"That was my friend," she began. "From the day of the Slitheen."

The day she was attacked.

"He didn't know how else to get my attention safely," she told him, and he remembered her comment about how he couldn't meet her friend yet.

"What was so important that he had to kidnap you?" the Doctor asked, his tone sharper than he meant it to be.

"One of his employees," she began, her voice already shaking. "They were… moving Jimmy, and he got out."

The Doctor felt a strange rage fill him, as well as a distinct nausea that he associated with fear, with complete terror.

"Did they find him?" he asked, his voice very carefully calm. She didn't answer, and he knew that meant no, they did not. The Doctor spent a moment, trying to control his rampant emotions before he spoke again. "We need to leave."

"Doctor, he would never come here," she paused, and he knew what she was thinking. Again.

"You know that for a fact?"

Rose's shrug was not enough to convince the Doctor.

"Come on," he said, his voice dark and demanding. "We're leaving."

"Doctor, what about my mum?" Rose asked, shaking her head.

"Your mum's feelings aren't as important as your safety, Rose," the Doctor snapped. "I know you don't care about staying safe, but I do."

Rose felt her breath leave her at his words. He seemed to understand what he'd said at the same time and tried to backtrack, but she'd already stood.

"Rose-,"

"No, you're right," she said, anger fueling this new energy. "I obviously don't care about my life. As a matter of fact, I might as well leave myself here so Jimmy can just finish it, eh?"

"Rose-," the Doctor tried, wincing at her words. But he knew she was right to be angry. He had no right to use her mental health in an argument like that, especially when it actually didn't have anything to do with the situation.

"Let's go back to the TARDIS," she muttered, not looking at him as she opened the door and stormed out, leaving him running after her and closing the door as an afterthought.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose knew the Doctor felt bad, and she thought he might even have understood what he'd done, but she couldn't help but be angry. Not only had he yelled at her after she'd received some of the worst news of her life, but he'd also thrown her mental health - something she'd never talked about before, except for with him - in her face, insinuating that she wanted to stay and let Jimmy murder her.

She stormed into the TARDIS with tears in her eyes and didn't watch to see if the Doctor was following her. It wasn't until she got to the swimming pool filled library - something she'd asked the TARDIS for - that she slowed down, eventually sitting on a chair by a table and a couch - a sure sign she was upset with him, because she always sat on a couch, curled into his side.

The Doctor walked slowly in behind her and finally placed himself on the arm of the couch, effectively sitting as close to her as he could. He didn't say anything, and she appreciated it. She needed a moment to collect her thoughts.

"I'm scared of him, Doctor."

She could tell her words hit his hearts as he winced and nodded, but she wasn't done. "I'm scared of being near him. I can remember his face, his breath on my skin, and I can clearly hear the sound of his voice in my mind. I can still feel how it felt when he would try and kill me, the pressure of his hands on my throat, how hot they are when they squeeze." She knew she was getting through to the Doctor by the look on his face and part of her felt bad - no one should have to hear that stuff - but the rest knew he needed to understand her fear. "It's like he's always there. I close my eyes, Doctor, and I just… I see him, hovering over me in a bed with another needle, and I don't know what he'll do. I can hear him, and see his eyes. He's still there, and he'll never leave me."

She took in a shaky breath, blinking away the flashback that was coming into focus, like putting on a pair of horror filled glasses. "I am more afraid of him than anything in this world, or the next. I am more afraid of him touching me again than anything else you could put me through. I'm not afraid of you because I don't need to be, but also because I've already met the most terrifying man in the universe, and it isn't you. So no, I don't want to let him get to me. Because it would never be as simple as just killing me. He'd never just kill me, there's always more. He's a monster, Doctor. I don't think he could even be human and if he is, then I'm glad I'm not."

The Doctor was silent for a long moment as he took in her words, feeling the pain and terror and the flashback edging at the corner of her mind, begging to tear her down farther.

"I didn't mean-,"

"I know," she nodded. "But it was said, and I need you to really understand." She paused, making eye contact with him. "All the times I've wanted to die, every time I thought about it, it was always to escape him. It always will be, because he'll always be there haunting me."

The Doctor's hearts broke for the girl in front of him. She was so… strong.

"No, I'm not," she laughed, and he hated the sound. "I gave up, and a lot. Anyone that's strong would've kept going."

The Doctor's eyes widened as he realized she was serious. "No, Rose, you've got it wrong. No one in your position could've kept going. He beat you down and degraded you and literally drugged you. He did despicable and unspeakable things to you for over three years. Anyone would give in. But you're strong because you kept going every day. And now you've got this new, long life and instead of dread, you're excited to live it. You're strong Rose."

She didn't answer him, and he could only hope that she kept his words in mind. He knew it should've been obvious that she thought poorly of herself, but it hadn't occurred to him because he thought she was so wonderful.

"Oh, Rose," he whispered, reaching to hold her face, having moved closer during his small speech. "You're absolutely amazing."

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	11. A Surprise On Marial

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 _ **This chapter has some slight spoilers for Torchwood: Children of Earth. There may be more occasional spoilers throughout the fic, too.**_

 _ **That's about it, I think. Just a quick warning, because I know some people have some serious issues with spoilers. My fiance refuses to watch anything after he's read or been told a spoiler, so I figured I'd try and save other people the pain of frustration and sudden, annoyed disinterest.**_

 _ **Enjoy! Remember, reviews are really great motivators and keep this author pretty happy.**_

 **A Surprise On Marial**

After the emotional few days they'd had, Rose and the Doctor took a small break to find something new. The Doctor had given her a list of places to choose from that were all relatively safe, and then stood back and watched her take them there, only helping her out when she needed it. Which was _much_ less often than he'd expected, and he was incredibly amazed by her power to learn and guess the right answers. She was leagues ahead of the pace he'd expected to go in teaching her the workings of the TARDIS - and the universe in general, for that matter - and he was proud of her. He knew it had nothing to do with his ability to teach.

She'd chosen a quiet planet with no people and only scenery named Marial. The skies were various shades of purple, and the grass was a nice golden color. They had large towers made of the land itself that changed color depending on who was looking at it at the moment, or if there were apples nearby.

The entire place was beautiful and vacant, and it was just the calming trip they needed.

Rose had opted for a dark red velvet bodysuit under a pair of shorts - which were high rise, of course - with some fishnets and her combat boots. She'd set her leather jacket on top of it, and wore a thick, black velvet choker on her neck.

All in all, the Doctor thought her outfit rather resembled something from Earth's 1980's, 1990's, or the revival of the style in around 2017, only a decade ahead of her time.

Her fashion choices were extremely interesting to the Doctor. Most times she wore clothes that were from different eras in Earth, including ones in her future, but sometimes she'd wear the odd alien piece, stating that she liked the weird pattern or shape of it.

Her most typical style was a mix between a sort of 1990's grunge and an ethereal princess, and while the Doctor loved seeing what she'd come up with next - as fashion had always been somewhat interesting to him, since it always interacted with society at the time - he was also generally confused by her decisions. He suspected that was part of the reason she dressed so inconsistently.

The pair walked out of the TARDIS, and he smiled when he heard Rose gasp at the sight in front of them. It really was beautiful. The sun - which shone a bright blue - was shining on everything as far as they could see, and the breeze sang a calming song to them, and smelled like pomegranates.

"It's beautiful, Doctor," Rose breathed, leaning down to touch the golden grass. She grinned. "It's so soft. It feels like wool."

The Doctor ran back into the TARDIS and grabbed a basket and a large blanket before running back out to her.

"A picnic?" She laughed happily. "God, I love picnics. Haven't had one in… years."

"Well, time to remedy that!" he smiled to himself, happy to see her smile so genuinely. She'd been understandably in a funk ever since they'd gone to visit her mother, and he'd finally found a good way to cheer her up.

They walked for about twenty minutes before they found a beautiful place to sit down. It was a clearing of grass on the edge of a large forest that Rose made the Doctor promise they could explore later.

They ate a lunch of sandwiches and fruit with juice and some brownies that the Doctor reluctantly admitted he'd baked. By the end of the meal, Rose seemed much lighter and happier, and the Doctor felt better, too.

When Rose stood and wandered around the clearing, gently picking a few flowers here and there, the Doctor's mind wandered again to the Dalek. He'd come to accept, with Rose's help, that there had been one Dalek left and it was finally over. But the Dalek had said things that had bothered the Doctor.

It had called Rose the goddess of time, and the abomination. It wasn't possible, and he knew it, but his mind was brought back to the tale of the goddess protecting time.

But that wasn't all the Dalek had said. He'd tried to ignore it, and Rose certainly hadn't brought it up, but the words were on his mind constantly.

" _What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?"_

Every time he repeated those words in his head, he got more frustrated. He couldn't love her. It wasn't possible. They'd only known each other for… well, he wasn't sure how long, but certainly no more than one earth year.

And yet, he knew that was plenty of time. And they had been through plenty, and it wasn't a shock that he could've fallen in love with her.

But he hadn't. He didn't do that. He didn't fall for his companions.

But she wasn't a companion, was she? She was… well, he didn't know what she was. She was just… his Rose.

He shook off the thoughts as Rose walked back over, a small bouquet of beautiful flowers in her hands, a mix of blues and pinks and yellows. "Can we explore the forest now?"

"Sure," he nodded, standing up and brushing himself off. He reached for her hand and she gave it happily, matching his pace as they moved toward the trees. It didn't take them long to reach the beautiful forest, and Rose skipped happily inside, the Doctor running after her.

The inside was just as beautiful as the outside of the forest, but there was something… odd.

"Doctor, do you hear that?" Rose asked, nearly whispering. He stopped to listen and realized what she was talking about. There was a faint whisper among the trees, something telepathic and decidedly… alive. He nodded and reached over to the trees, but touching them proved pointless quickly. Whatever was alive and _very_ telepathic was probably not in plain sight.

"Didn't you say this place was empty of intelligent life?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Just plants and things."

"And are plants telepathic?"

"Only sometimes, and definitely not right now."

Rose smiled and continued on into the forest, and the Doctor followed, stamping down the part of him that wanted to run from the potential danger and hide in the TARDIS.

Rose was a good fifteen feet in front of him when a small hole in the ground, probably about the size of two bodies, caught his eye. It was covered very well in foliage and could easily have been missed, but he'd been looking closely for anything. He was about to mention it to Rose as he walked over to it, but two pairs of hands reached out of the hole and pulled him down, cutting off his sentence as the darkness of the underground overcame him.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose spun around quickly when a sudden feeling of _surprise_ and _dread_ and _worry_ overcame her, and she knew it was from the Doctor. Just like she feared, he was nowhere to be seen behind her, and she couldn't tell where he'd have disappeared to as there was nothing but trees around that she could see. She ran back to about where she'd last seen him when she'd looked behind her, but she couldn't find anything, and she tried to ignore the panic as it rose in her chest.

The anxiety and panic at not knowing what to do was beginning to be to much when she heard a familiar sound and turned around, confused.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Doctor turned around in the TARDIS, pushing buttons and pulling levers left and right, and he only slowed down when he felt his ship land. He didn't bother looking at the monitor - the last four trips had taken him to the right place, and he felt rather confident at that point.

He pulled on his jacket and ran out of the door, stopping short just before he ran straight into a tree. He moved to the side slightly and carefully pulled the door shut.

And then realized he was _definitely_ not where he was supposed to be.

He vaguely recognized the planet. It wasn't one he'd gone to often. The last time he'd been was… maybe his fourth body, with Romana.

He'd meant to head to Woman Wept. It was the only place he felt close to Rose again, especially since he'd said goodbye.

He didn't want to be on Marial. It only reminded him of the list he'd made one day of the places he planned on taking Rose. He knew she'd love it, and it didn't feel right being there without her.

Still, when he tried to get back into the TARDIS, he found it locked. And when he pulled out his key to open it, the keyhole just… disappeared.

With a frustrated sigh, he kicked the door. "Let me in!" His foot throbbed, and he jumped on one foot as the pain lessened.

"Did you make her angry?" came a rather amused voice. A familiar voice. A… completely _impossible_ voice.

He whipped around, his eyes wide. "Rose…"

"I didn't think I'd see you," she said, moving closer. _She was moving closer!_ Her hand reached to his cheek, but she didn't touch him.

"You can't be here," he whispered.

"Neither can you," she laughed. "One I've never met, okay, fine. I don't know him yet. But you… I was so in love with _you_."

"Rose…"

She reached forward to touch his face and he let her, but she pulled back immediately, staring at her hand like it had betrayed her.

"Doctor?" she didn't look excited, or happy anymore. She looked… scared of him. "I can't… feel you." She tapped her head, and he blinked at her. She couldn't possibly mean…

He had to address the one thing that proved this was all fake. "Your eyes are golden."

"Yeah, you _know_ that," she frowned, backing away slightly.

"Your eyes are golden and there's someone else in my head," he elaborated, not able to ignore the Time Lord presence in his mind.

"Doctor," Rose whispered, her eyes glittering with emotion. "When did you last see me?"

The Doctor hated his perfect memory, because he could easily see a crying Rose in his mind. "Bad Wolf Bay," he replied quietly.

Something close to fear filled her eyes, and he had a feeling it wasn't just because of the awful place.

"You shouldn't be here," she told him, her words not matching the new, longing tone to her voice. "This isn't possible."

"You should be trapped, in Pete's World," he told her. She nodded firmly, but the fear remained.

"I was."

"And you're _back_?" he frowned. "And on Marial?"

"Doctor, you shouldn't be here," she reached for his hand but didn't grab it, and he could see an awful storm of emotions fly across her face. "The timelines-,"

"What about the timelines?"

"You, this version with this memory of those events… you shouldn't exist," she winced as she said it and he froze.

"What does that mean?"

"I- well, some things happened, and I came back to this universe, but the TARDIS put me at the beginning of my time with you," she rubbed her face hard. "I've been… rewriting."

The Doctor thought about his time with Rose being erased or rewritten and he _hated_ the idea. He was just about to tell her exactly that when she spoke again.

"But it's not just that, Doctor," she stepped carefully closer, obviously seeing the denial on his face and he stayed still, letting her grab his hands and move them slowly to her head. "Go on, touch my mind."

He hesitated, because that was something he hadn't even done when she was with him, but she gave him that look that he could never ignore and gently placed his fingers on her temples.

And then, barely a second later, gasped and dropped his hands to stare at her.

"What- but, how? That doesn't… I don't understand. That's impossible! You were human!"

Rose laughed lightly at his rambling. "Yes, I was."

"And now you're a Time Lady."

"Yes, I am."

" _How_?"

"Bad Wolf."

The Doctor paused. That actually made a lot of sense.

"But Doctor, you _can't_ be here. Even… even if Canary Wharf still happens the way it did last time, everything is different now. Everything."

"What did you change, Rose?" he frowned. She shrugged slightly, looking away.

"I didn't really change anything that big. I just saved a few people, like Jabe and Sneed. Most of the changes came from you, and our… relationship. You got nosey, that's pretty much it."

"I got… nosey?" the Doctor frowned. It didn't seem like she meant about her time with him.

"Yeah, just about my past and stuff."

"Your time with me?" He didn't think there was anything important about her life before him that he didn't know. Right?

"Sure," she very obviously lied, looking around. "But I've kinda got a problem right now. We were having a picnic, and you… disappeared."

"So, you're with me. Is that the first one, or… this me?"

"Leather and big ears," she answered, smiling a little. "I loved you even then, did you know?"

The Doctor hadn't, and he wished more than anything he could just kiss her. "So, the Doctor disappeared. Wait, hold on, you were having a _picnic_ with leather and big ears?"

Rose _blushed_ and shrugged. "I think he was trying to make sure I'm not upset with him, or to cheer me up."

"Why?" the Doctor frowned. He knew he should focus on her issue, the missing Doctor, but he also knew he would have to leave once it was solved and he really just wanted to take her with him and run.

"He said something stupid at a really bad time and it upset me," she looked away, but he didn't miss the vulnerable fear and pain that lingered from the memory. He'd never seen her look vulnerable, not like that. Something significant had changed in her, and he wasn't sure what it was.

"Still, a picnic," he shook his head. "Must've been pretty bad."

"It was."

And that was all the Doctor needed to know that something _really_ bad had happened. "Rose, are you okay?"

"'M fine," she still wouldn't look at him and he knew she was lying. Again.

Things had changed too much.

He made a split second decision and reached back to check if the TARDIS was unlocked. She was, but he could feel the extreme disapproval being screamed at him. He reached for Rose and she grabbed his hand automatically, just as she always had. She let him pull her inside, though she was hesitant and confused.

"Doctor, what-,"

He pulled the door shut behind her and quickly ran to throw the TARDIS into the vortex, essentially kidnapping Rose.

"Doctor!" There was clear protest in her voice, and he turned around to face her.

"Rose," he sighed, touching her cheek lightly. She leaned into the touch and his hearts skipped a beat. He'd missed her _so much_. He didn't care how wrong what he was doing was.

"You can't do this," she whispered. "We can't go back. I- I'm fixing it."

"You're _changing_ it. Things are different." He looked into her beautiful golden eyes. "You're different."

"I'm… better," she said. She didn't explain what she meant, and the Doctor would've given anything to know. "We're closer like this, and things are different."

"You said he hurt you." he paused. "You looked scared."

She cringed. "It was… it was just a bad day. Jack gave me some pretty bad news. Just something from my life before I met you. It didn't really have anything to do with him, with you."

"I miss you."

She nodded, and he could see that same pain and longing as he had on Bad Wolf Bay. "I miss you, too, Doctor." He saw her pause before she stroked his cheek lightly. "And I love you."

"Rose-,"

"No, it's okay," she interrupted. He wanted so badly to say it back, to give them both what they wanted, but she stopped him. "It's okay. I know."

"What if I need to say it?"

"It'd only hurt more," she told him, and he knew it was from experience. "You could say it once, but never again."

"Maybe once is enough," he tried before changing tactics. "And it doesn't have to be just once. You could stay-,"

"No, I couldn't," she shook her head. He knew she was right but he didn't care. He was a time lord. They took care of and bent time when they wanted to. And this was all he wanted. "I have to keep going."

"I need you."

"No, you don't," Rose shook her head, laughing a slightly bitter laugh. "You never did."

"That's not true," he denied. Because she was _very_ wrong about that. "When we met, I'd just come from the time war. You… helped me become the Doctor again."

"Anyone could've done that," she shrugged. "I was just there."

He was going to argue further, but she stopped him by nodding to the door, a silent request to go back. The Doctor felt a sort of possessive panic rise in him at the thought of her leaving again.

"I don't want to lose you," he whispered, and she turned around to look at him.

"You'll be fine without me. I mean, how long has it been?"

He shrugged. He'd travelled with Martha and finished the Year That Never Was, and then he was alone again. "Maybe two years."

"And you weren't alone, right? You shouldn't ever be alone."

"I had a friend," he nodded. "Martha."

"Good," she smiled, and she looked so genuinely glad that it hurt his hearts.

"I don't know how to leave you again, Rose," he said honestly. He wasn't sure he could.

"You know it has to happen this way. Besides, if what… you told me was true, then you should fade and that, losing me, won't have ever happened for anyone but me. Actually, I'm not sure why it hasn't already."

"It's probably the TARDIS," he shrugged. The answer made more sense the more he thought about it, and he nodded firmly. "She probably pulled herself here."

"Why?" Rose frowned, blinking. "I mean, I've been seeing plenty of people that I shouldn't know yet, but you…"

"Like you said, I won't exist for much longer," he told her, and he tried not to linger on that thought because it was really rather frightening. "So I imagine it was for you."

"For me?"

"So you could say goodbye."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Doctor wasn't sure what was happening because it was dark and very quiet, and he couldn't tell when someone was near and when they weren't. But he knew one thing, and it was that Rose was far away, very far. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't like it.

It had been probably three hours since he'd been taken from the forest, and he'd only interacted with one of the people, who had tied him up and told him their chief would come soon. It was another two hours until anyone came in, and he blinked a few times, trying to catch sight of them.

They untied his arms and he stretched, trying to work out the painful kinks. "Hello! That's better."

"I apologize for my friends," they said, and he could tell they were still afraid of him. "They were only afraid. We've never had any… visitors before, and never any other mind speakers."

"That's alright," he nodded. "Everyone gets confused. You said you don't get anyone visiting?" He wondered exactly how far back in Marial's existence he'd put them. It had to have been pretty far, if these people hadn't ever noticed people popping by to look at the sights.

"Never," they confirmed. "It is quite unusual to find anyone on the Upper World, too."

"I'm not here to hurt you," he promised. He knew they were worried about that, it was obvious by the way they'd avoided him and kept him tied up. "My friend and I just wanted to look at the scenery in the Upper World."

"A friend?" he heard the confusion in their voice. "There was no one with you."

"There was," he assured them, frustration entering his voice. "But she's gone. Missing. Something happened to her. She's… far away."

"Oh," the person gasped. "Is she your bond mate?"

"What? I- no, we're not… we have a bond, but it's not exactly… like that."

"Do you love her?"

The Doctor hesitated, and that was apparently a good enough answer.

"You fear for her."

"She's… jeopardy friendly. Hard to keep her out of trouble."

"You should go and find her, should you not?"

The Doctor looked at them as best as he could. "You'd just let me go?"

"You are not here to hurt us," they said, and he could practically feel the shrug. "Why keep you hostage when your bond mate is in danger?"

"That is very kind of you," he sighed, relieved. He didn't feel like escaping capture today.

And so, about twenty minutes later, he found himself at the end of a tunnel with the same person he'd been talking to before. There was light filtering through the hole in the ground and he could see them better.

They looked vaguely humanoid, but rather… blue. It reminded him of someone he'd met once, a despicable man named Dorium, except significantly thinner and shorter. They had indentations in their skin in some odd pattern that reminded him vaguely of old Gallifreyan drawings, but a bit different.

He didn't waste time examining them, but rather thanked the person quickly and made his way out of the Under World, as they'd called it, and sprinted to the TARDIS.

He had to find Rose.

And maybe give her a strong lecture about wandering off.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose sighed as she sat on the jump seat, the Doctor sitting next to her. She thought she could probably fly the TARDIS back, but she also knew that if she pressed even one wrong button, she could punch a hole in the fabric of reality, and she _really_ didn't want to do that.

Her hand fell into the Doctor's and she shivered at the familiarity, and how sad it made her. She'd missed this so much, and now that she had it, she had to leave.

"What happened in Pete's World?" the Doctor asked, staring at her closely. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her since he'd found her.

She shrugged. "I started working for Torchwood there. Dad ran it. Some stuff happened. I saved the world a few times, and some things went… some things went pretty wrong, too."

"Tell me about it," he requested, and she bit her lip. She wanted to. She wanted to tell him _everything_. Every single thought she'd had and every emotion she'd felt. All the good, and all the bad. And really, why shouldn't she? He wouldn't exist for much longer - a thought that broke her heart - so what was the problem?

Taking a deep breath in, she began. She told him about her first solo job, and he smiled brightly when she told him how she'd single handedly saved the world. She told him about Tony, and how she told him their stories, and his particular favorite was when they'd met Satan and killed him. She told him how happy her mum was, and how she was brighter than she'd ever seen the woman. After slight hesitation, she told him about her vacation, and the aliens that had attacked her mind. He'd paled and looked both terrified and absolutely _furious_. Once she finally calmed him down about that - and promised that she was okay now, reminding him how clean her mind was, regardless of the scars - she told him about the dreams she always had of him. She told him how she never stopped loving him. She told him about the aliens she'd saved and sent back home, and the ones that had occasionally saved her.

And then she told him about the 456. The aliens that came and controlled the children, and used them as drugs. She told him about John Frobisher and everything he'd done, leaving out how he'd died. She told him about the man, Clem, that had been killed by the aliens. And finally, she told him how they used Clem's death to find a way to rid themselves of the aliens. And as she explained it, he understood and paled as she told him that they'd used her mind instead of a child's, since she was telepathic and receiving the messages as well.

She stopped there, not wanting to tell him everything that had happened since she'd been back. He didn't need to know about Jimmy. He'd never asked, and she didn't need to tell.

It had been probably two hours by the time she finished telling him about her life after him, and she was surprised to find tears in his eyes when she finally looked up, not having been able to look at him as she described her death.

"Rose…" he reached out, his hand cupping her cheek. "I'm so sorry."

She shook her head slightly. "It's okay. Things are… different now, sure, but I'd like to think it's better."

"I loved my time with you," the Doctor said quietly, and she froze. She couldn't handle it if he said it. To hear the words, the response she'd longed for so long ago, and then lose him again… she knew it would be too much. "Rose, I-,"

"No," she interrupted. "Doctor, please."

"Don't you…?"

"I'll always love you, Doctor," she sighed, squeezing her eyes shut to rid herself of the tears building in her eyes. "But I don't know how I'd do this, keep going if you said it."

"Don't," he suggested. "Stay with me."

"You know I can't."

And he did. She could see it in his eyes. That painful understanding. The defeat as he really admitted to himself that she couldn't stay.

"I miss you," he told her for the second time that day.

She gave him a sad smile. Before she could respond, very abruptly, something slammed into the TARDIS - which was odd, considering they were in the vortex - and they fell out of the vortex and landed… somewhere.

Rose fell off the seat with impact, as did the Doctor. The pair picked themselves up and exchanged a shocked look before looking at the door and, just like they used to, they reached for each other's hand and headed for the door.

But halfway to the door, someone opened it. The Doctor blinked as it creaked open, and Rose gasped as she realized quickly who it was.

The Doctor - leather and big ears, her Doctor - walked in, his eyes dark.

"Doctor!" Rose gasped, staring at him. He stared directly at her and she could feel the intense _worry_ and _confusion_ coming from him.

"Rose."

She looked between the two Doctors in front of her and reluctantly dropped her Ten's hand. He looked heartbroken and furious with her current Doctor. She ignored his temper and ran over to her Doctor and wrapped her arms around him briefly before grabbing his hand and squeezing it tightly.

 _I'm okay. I'm sorry._

"This is… your future self," she said, not technically lying.

"And he just felt the need to _kidnap_ you?" the Doctor snapped, glaring at Ten.

"Maybe if you kept better watch on her," Ten hissed, matching the Doctor's dark glare.

"I am not a possession," Rose interrupted, glaring at both of them. "I am a capable person, and _not_ your responsibility."

Both of them looked at her and she could tell they disagreed, thinking she was their responsibility, but she had bigger problems at the moment.

"The Doctor," she said, nodding at Ten. "was just fulfilling a time loop. Apparently, I told him that he came and took me away during this trip, so he did."

She could feel vague suspicion coming from her Doctor, but he nodded and seemed to believe it.

"So, are you the next one, then?"

Ten shrugged. "You'll just have to wait and see."

Rose glanced at Ten and felt a sudden wave of sadness. She almost wished this had never happened. She'd said goodbye to him a long time ago, and here he was, making things so much worse. The Doctor glanced at her, a confused frown on his face but she ignored it and moved back over to Ten, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Goodbye, Doctor."

"See you later, Rose," he replied, kissing her head softly, refusing to say goodbye as he always did. The whispered farewell wasn't heard by the Doctor, but he felt the melancholy attitude as the pair separated and Rose moved quickly back to her Doctor, slipping her hand into his.

 _Are you alright?_

 _Always, Doctor._

With a quick wave, Rose left the TARDIS - the old one that she used to travel in with her old Doctor in her old timeline - and resisted the urge to look back, knowing it would only make everything worse.

The door closing behind them, Rose dropped her jacket on the railing and sat herself on the jump seat, waiting for the questions she expected.

But they didn't come as the Doctor threw the TARDIS into the vortex silently, and moved to sit next to her. He grabbed her hand gently and, instead of saying anything, offered silent support. It surprised her, but she greatly appreciated it and held on as she processed what had just happened and locked it all tightly behind some doors, just like the other memories the Doctor couldn't see.

It wasn't until she leaned her head onto his shoulder and closed her eyes that she spoke.

"Thank you."

The Doctor was quiet for another moment and she could tell he was trying to put his thoughts into words. "My curiosity shouldn't be satisfied if it makes you uncomfortable or upset."

Rose recognized the large change between the Doctor now and before, and she wondered if the bond had really clued him into how much his curious tendencies made her uncomfortable sometimes, especially considering the fact that he never let things go. She knew this was big progress in how emotionally aware he was and she couldn't put into words how much she appreciated it.

"Of course I want to know what happened," he admitted. "But I won't push. If you ever feel like telling me, or talking about it... " he trailed off, and she nodded a little, her head still on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Doctor."

He nodded silently, and she smiled softly.

She'd loved her Doctor before. And she hadn't wanted or tried to change him, but she knew that his lack of respect for her privacy was going to become a problem, and it seemed he'd realized that, too.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Doctor sat in his study later that evening, after a dinner with Rose where he'd explained his earlier situation to her and expressed his wish to return the next day and check on them, since the planet didn't have any _known_ life on it until then. She'd agreed, stating that she wanted to see more of the planet and collect more flowers, and gone off to bed soon after. He could still feel her sadness and longing, and shoved away the curiosity, his need for information, though the entire situation from earlier that day had been somewhat suspicious to him.

He'd come to understand that she was uncomfortable telling him things just because he wanted to know. Which was fair, honestly. She had a right to privacy, even though they were connected and he'd seen her memories. It was her mind and her life, and he didn't have any inherent rights to it.

He also realized that if they wanted to spend a long time together - travelling together, that is. Of course that's what he means - then he needed to trust her and back off and let her do her own thing. And it was extremely hard and frustrating, but the pure relief he'd felt from her earlier proved his theory, and he knew he had to continue. Her new relaxed state was enough to make him want to give her more space.

He had a habit of thinking of people as… less three dimensional than him, less whole, and he was beginning to see, because of Rose, that it was a problem. He logically knew and understood that the people he saw and met when he travelled were whole people with lives and loves and favorites and dislikes, but he had a tendency to disconnect from that to make it easier when he potentially lost them.

And he felt like maybe, that was a mistake. So, the next day when he was eating breakfast with a quiet Rose, he looked up at her.

"Rose," he said cautiously, unsure how to phrase his question. The tired woman looked up at him, her face previously buried in her teacup as she tried to wake up completely. "When we go places, and people die… you don't… what I mean to say is, you still connect with everyone you meet."

"Yeah," she nodded, not following.

The Doctor blinked at her. "Why?"

"Why… do I connect with the people we meet, even though they could die?" she gathered the question, and he nodded. She looked rather startled by it, but she straightened a little as she always did when having a conversation. "Because they're still people. It's not fair to treat them like they're already dead, you know? I want to at least give them enough respect to act like they're whole people, because they are."

"Even though it always hurts you," the Doctor added, and she shrugged a little.

"My temporary pain is nothing compared to someone acting like you're not quite… there, or whole, or worth it. Even if we just travelled to see these people die, I'd still do it, and I'd still treat them the same way, because everyone deserves a good death." She paused before correcting herself. "Most people deserve a good death."

Her words stuck with him through the day as they travelled back to Marial, landing in the forest this time, and close enough to the entrance to the Under World that they found it without much trouble. The Doctor told her about his time spent stuck on earth, working with UNIT and his friend Liz Shaw. He told her a few stories before they reached the destination, and the Doctor dropped himself in the hole first before helping her in gently.

They both pulled out their flashlights and glanced around quickly. It was empty and it didn't look like it had changed much, but Rose had quietly pointed out the startling quiet compared to the day before, when they'd heard the mental voices reaching out, a fact that had them both on edge.

They walked quietly through the corridor, and Rose nodded at the walls, stopping to shine her flashlight and look at something. When the Doctor looked at them, he saw what she was pointing at.

"That looks… like the marks on them," he frowned. "Same color as their skin, too."

Rose hummed quietly and moved on, the Doctor following after just a moment. They wandered around for awhile before they came to the same room they'd passed through before, which led to the rest of the area the Doctor had seen. They took a small look around and found nothing but a small ring on the floor, made of a silver looking material and twisted into a small knot at the top. Another glance around the floor revealed another, identical ring, and the Doctor's gut twisted as an idea came to mind.

"Oh, Rose… I don't think we should've come back."

"Should we leave?" she asked, sounding rather reluctant. He shook his head a little, pocketing the rings. He wanted to leave them somewhere else. Somewhere more respectful.

"No, let's make sure no one is left."

And so, after another half hour of wandering, they found themselves in a large, regal room. It looked vaguely like a sort of courtroom, and the Doctor wished he could've explored it… before. The chairs and tables around the room were made from a dark, polished wood, and the Doctor moved to the table at the center of the room, setting the rings on it. He closed his eyes as he allowed himself to feel the grief at the loss of these mysterious and kind people.

"I don't think we'll be finding anyone here," the Doctor told her quietly, and she nodded, following him silently to the door. The pair walked quietly and somewhat quickly through the halls, and Rose could feel the Doctor's nerves picking up as their flashlights flickered. He hit his and sonicked it, not bothering to slow down, but it didn't work. Fear flashed through him suddenly, and he silently grabbed her hand, pulling her along as he ran now.

"Doctor, what's happening?" Rose questioned, keeping pace with him. She'd been training like she had in Torchwood, and her body was slowly getting back to the way it was in Pete's World - something she was extremely grateful for. She figured she could probably fight her way out of most situations, and she could definitely run better now, especially with her improved lungs.

"I think I know what's killed these people," he answered her, running faster as his flashlight went out. Hers was still on, but flickering, and he knew they had to hurry. "They're vicious creatures that live in shadows. They're called the Vashta Nerada."

Rose stifle a gasp. She'd encountered some in Pete's World, but they'd been able to call the Shadow Proclamation to take care of them. Earth was a category eight, which meant that they could defend themselves and work with the space police. They usually avoided asking for help, but they'd had no way to get rid of the murderous shadows otherwise. "What do they do?"

"They eat the flesh off the victims," he explained. "The meat. Kills them instantly."

"That's awful," Rose muttered honestly. She'd watched Jake's wife and partner in the field be killed by the monsters, and she knew they were bad. She knew they had to get out of the darkness _fast_ or they'd be next. "But if they only eat the meat, the flesh, why aren't there bones?"

"Some races don't have them," the Doctor shrugged. "The Slitheen didn't - made of pure calcium. I assume this race didn't, either."

They stopped talking after that and just ran as fast as they could, which got them to the exit in five minutes. The Doctor boosted Rose out before she helped pull him up, and the pair moved into sunlight and took a deep breath.

But only for a moment.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he stared at the Time Lady in front of him. "Rose, stay calm-,"

"Doctor…" she gasped, looking down at her feet. She counted her shadows, just like she'd learned to before. One, two, three… and four. "Is that… is that them?"

He hesitated before nodding slowly. "It'll be okay, we'll fix this."

"If they kill me, I won't have time to regenerate, will I?"

The Doctor stared at her, pain and regret in his eyes. He shook his head silently.

"It's okay," she said, but she was scared. Terrified. She had to fix it, all of it. She couldn't die now. She had to meet Jack, and she wanted to see the Doctor with the floppy hair and large, childish grin. She wanted to see her next Doctor, to travel with him and experience both old and new things. She couldn't die here.

The oddest thing happened, just as another shadow popped up. Someone zapped in on the vortex manipulator, similar to the way Jack had done in her mum's living room, and grabbed her by the waist. She got a quick glimpse of some large, blonde hair before they zapped back out and ended up… literally three feet away.

Rose stumbled away from the woman and looked frantically at the ground, grinning when she saw the shadows were gone, and she only had one now. She laughed brightly and gave the traveller a large hug. "River!" She backed up to look at the woman. "Thank you!"

"Of course, Sweetie," she winked, patting her back as she pulled out of the hug. Rose turned around as the Doctor got to her and grabbed her face, looking it over closely. Once he decided she was okay, he pulled her into a tight hug, and she felt his relief wash over both of them.

When the Doctor finally pulled away, he turned to River and frowned. "Who the hell are you?"

"Spoilers," she grinned.

"She's a friend," Rose explained. She didn't see the harm in giving some sort of explanation. It'd make things easier for the next time she saw her friend. "A time traveller. We met out of order, and we keep doing so."

River nodded. "I've got a book," she told them, holding up a journal that matched Jack's blue one. "It tells me where and when to be and what's happening."

"Why?" the Doctor frowned, looking between the girls. He could tell they hadn't known each other long, but Rose seemed to trust and like her, and he trusted her opinion. She hadn't been wrong yet.

Rose shrugged. "Dunno. She just started showing up and helping me."

The Doctor eyed the book River was tucking back into her pocket as Rose moved back over and hummed. "I should start writing this stuff down, yeah?"

River nodded. "You've got one to match us."

"Us?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow, and River turned to him slightly, though her hand went to Rose's.

"Spoilers." She turned back to Rose. "Asteroid 839. Pick up five books. Two go to us, two get set aside for later, and one is for you."

Rose nodded seriously, and the Doctor tried not to pout at being left out. He figured it made sense that Rose had her own intricacies in her timeline if she was going to spend a long time with him, but he could tell that the two women had known each other for awhile and he wanted to know everything about it.

But he held his tongue as the pair grinned and spoke for a quick minute before River said goodbye and pressed some buttons on her vortex manipulator, leaving him alone with Rose once more.

Suddenly he felt extremely exposed on the surface of the planet, and he made his way to the TARDIS, checking only once to make sure she was following him. She was, humming quietly and bending over every once in awhile to pick the flowers she'd said she wanted. She was right - they were beautiful flowers. By the time they reached their ship, she had a full bouquet of reds and purples and blues and oranges, and he thought she had an amazing taste in flowers, having put together something wonderfully beautiful.

The pair entered the TARDIS, and the Doctor followed her to the galley to find a vase and water and, thanks to their ship, a packet of flower food. Once the flowers were taken care of, Rose looked at the Doctor.

"I'm not really ready for sleep," she said, and he knew she was feeling anxious, and very likely dissociating. He nodded firmly.

"Change into some pyjamas, have a bath, then meet me in the library," he offered. "I'll tell you some more stories."

She agreed, grateful, and the pair separated in the hall, Rose heading for her room, and the Doctor thinking on what to tell her as he tried to find the library that Rose had filled with the swimming pool.

She'd said they wouldn't lose it now, and he'd only laughed and requested that the books be kept a safe distance from the water.

Rose arrived in her room and turned on the hot water, only turning the cold water knob a little bit. She dumped in some instant bubbles that smelled like vanilla and cinnamon and helped relax her endlessly tense muscles. She sat in the bath for only a half hour before she pulled herself out reluctantly. She really did want to listen to the Doctor, after all. So she grabbed the pair of waiting pyjamas - a black ribbed tank top and a pair of red shorts that fit somewhat tightly, but were extremely comfortable. With her slippers on her feet and her favorite throw blanket wrapped around her, she made her way quietly through the halls of the TARDIS.

She was glad that the Doctor knew about River now. It would make things a lot easier. But she knew she'd be seeing Jack soon in London, and she was nervous about the new secrets that would be kept in the TARDIS. She and the Doctor had done so well in growing and becoming _more_ and the Doctor was so much more emotionally open now, it surprised her. She didn't want the Doctor to see her obviously keeping secrets, but not be able to tell him what they were.

She shook off the thoughts as she entered the large library, and grinned at the sight of the pool in the middle of the large room, the books having been shifted to fit it. She spotted the Doctor easily. He was sitting at the opposite end of the pool, and about ten feet away from it, near a fireplace that hadn't been there before. There was a couch and a coffee table filled with tea and some of her favorite treats, and some that she knew were his. She knew before she could even see the cup that he'd be sipping a banana smoothie. They were his absolute favorite treats.

She made her way over quickly and plopped down next to him, his arm automatically coming to wrap around her shoulders. She gave him a soft smile.

"I wasn't _that_ long, was I?"

He blinked. "Huh? Oh, no. I got halfway here and thought maybe we'd like some snacks if we were going to talk all night."

"Thank you," she sighed contentedly, picking up a cup of tea and sipping it. Perfect.

And that was how they spent the night. The Doctor told her about his fifth body, and the green he kept in his pocket during his travels. He told her about the girl, Tegan, who'd watched him regenerate into that body. He told her about their adventures, and how she'd left after preventing a Dalek invasion in 1980's London.

He told her about his friend Romana, and everything they went through together, having travelled together in his fourth body. He told her about meeting her again during the war, and how she'd been replaced by Rassilon, and how he wasn't actually entirely sure what had happened to her, but that he knew it was bad.

They talked until they got hungry, almost eleven hours later, and the pair finally left the library to get some food and start another day.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	12. The Long Game

**The Long Game**

"'Just in and out, Rose. We're busy, Rose,'" she mumbled as she crawled through some air vents with the Doctor. "Don't get distracted, we've got things to do."

The Doctor ignored her as he ducked under a laser beam shooting from the wall and hurried to catch up. She was a little ways ahead of him and they were almost out of danger.

"I didn't even get the books!" she told him, and he sighed.

"We can go to another time and pick them up," he huffed as he dropped to the bottom, avoiding another beam. Rose did the same and he twitched as it scraped her side. The pain only intensified as they moved, but she said nothing about it and kept going.

It took them another five minutes and a lot of dodging before they came out the other side, luckily very close to the TARDIS. They'd lost the people chasing them, and the pair sprinted to the TARDIS, just in case. Once they reached their ship, they slowed down and leaned over to take some deep breaths.

There was a moment of silence before they looked at each other and burst into laughter, Rose throwing her head back, grinning.

And the Doctor couldn't help but feel elated, looking at the amazing woman in front of him laughing just after nearly dying.

Which reminded him of the pain throbbing from Rose, and he grew serious, moving over to her to grab her arm. She hissed in pain, and he winced, feeling it over their bond. He hadn't really caught sight of the injury yet, and she hadn't complained so he'd figured it wasn't serious, but the cut was pretty deep along her shoulder. It had cut into her jacket and shirt - both of which could be fixed later - and at a deep angle in her arm and shoulder. It was bigger than he'd expected, and his hearts skipped a beat at the sight.

"Rose," he gasped, moving to look at her eyes. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"It didn't hurt that bad," she shrugged, twisting around to catch a glance at it. "We were running, anyway. Couldn't have done anything about it."

The Doctor sighed at her and began walking to the infirmary, his danger friendly Rose following him. It took them just a minute to get there as he'd left it permanently close to the console room, just in case. "Sit."

She did as he said and shed her jacket and shirt, wincing at the fabric scraping against the cuts. The Doctor came over and cleaned the injury before healing it as best as he could. It was still irritated and red but they could try and heal it again later once the skin had relaxed.

"Thank you," Rose sighed as he covered it with some bandages.

The Doctor hummed. "We can have the TARDIS repair your jacket tonight, and the shirt, if you want."

Rose nodded, picking up the jacket she'd been wearing constantly and glancing at the dark blue tye dye shirt she'd been wearing. "Just the jacket, I think."

The Doctor stood and grabbed it from her and she stood too, carefully stretching her arm. It didn't hurt too bad anymore, and she appreciated it. The Doctor left to repair her jacket and she went to bed, exhausted from the meds he'd given her.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Two days later, the pair had finally picked up the necessary books, and without incident this time. Rose spent nearly two hours writing what had already happened, including her run ins with River, Jack, and the future Doctor. She wanted to make it as detailed as possible so that everything was easier in the future. When she was done, she put her book in the pockets of her newly fixed and upgraded jacket - now fitted with multi dimensional pockets, just like the Doctor, as well as some amazing temperature technology.

Under the jacket, she was wearing a tight dress that adjusted to her curves and fell to just above her knee. It was black and sheer toward the top. She'd put on some nice, reddish purple tights with a beautiful pattern in them, and topped it off with combat boots and a black tattoo choker.

She wasn't sure where they'd end up that day, but she had a feeling it was going to be important.

And she was proven right, twenty minutes later, when she and the Doctor had landed the TARDIS and walked out to see Satellite Five. Her breath caught in her chest as she looked around at the familiar and anxiety filled space, and she hurried to tamper the anxiety before any questions came her way.

"Rose? Are you okay?" the Doctor frowned, and she stifled a sigh. With a quick nod, she plastered on a smile and turned to face him completely.

"Yeah! Where are we?"

"Spaceship. The year?" he quizzed, letting her distract him.

"Um," she frowned. She knew the year, but she wanted to feel it, too. "200,000?"

"Exactly!" the Doctor grinned, patting her back, careful to avoid her still injured shoulder. "Oh, wait, no. It's a space station."

"What sort?" she pulled at her jacket, the heat starting to get to her. "It's a bit warm in here, they could turn the heating down."

The Doctor's eye caught on a gate nearby, and they made their way over quietly. After sliding it open, they stepped up into the observing room and Rose gasped. She never got tired of the sight.

"It's… incredible," she whispered. She was amazed by how different it looked from her time.

"The Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire," he explained to her. "And there it is. Planet Earth, at its height. Covered with megacities, five moons, population 96 billion-,"

"Blimey…"

"The hub of a galactic domain stretching across a million planets, a million species, with mankind right in the middle."

"This is amazing, Doctor. To think, we got _here_ from what Earth is right now… it's amazing. And I know there's so much bad in humanity, but I'd like to think… to _hope_ that there's more good in us than bad, at least by now. Hopefully by now."

The Doctor was silent, and she knew he couldn't answer her. He'd seen too many people do awful things, and she'd seen one person do to many awful things. But she couldn't rid herself of the hope that her planet, the one she grew up on and loved for so long, wasn't _all_ bad.

The pair stayed in the room for a bit, staring at the Earth. Rose felt everything fade a little, moving too fast and not because of her Time Senses. It was always an uncomfortable feeling, and one that she didn't know how to describe or put a name to. The Doctor had, but he hadn't really explained what it was. Her breath caught in her chest as she stared at him and tried to connect the part of her brain that was seeing him and processing him to the part that _knew_ him and _knew_ he was real, but it wasn't working. Her anxiety picked up as she looked around, waiting for anything to feel regular and slower and real, but it only got faster and scarier.

And before she knew it, the Doctor was easing her into a chair and kneeling in front of her. She hadn't had one of these sort of… _attacks_ while he was with her, and that made it all worse. She already felt incredibly weak, and now she couldn't tell what was slow and real and right and what was just… fake, and wrong. The Doctor was speaking, but her anxiety made her deaf to his words. His hand moved just a little too fast, like it was being edited and sped up. A vague part of her wondered if that was what was happening, but she figured probably not.

"Rose!"

The word, the name, her name, was loud inside her mind, their mind? She wasn't sure anymore as it got worse. She wasn't sure what her thoughts were, and she wasn't sure they were hers, or his, or anyones. The sounds were slower and the sights were faster, and the nausea that came through her didn't even feel real, and that was extremely frustrating.

She could see the Doctor's hands on her face and feel him in her, his, their mind, but it wasn't _right_.

And then she felt something inside of her that, when she touched it, made everything just perfectly _slow_. So she gripped it and held onto it and felt her mind fall into a bliss. Everything felt right again, sort of. Her mind felt calmer.

"Rose?" she heard the Doctor, and he sounded worried, he felt worried. And slower, but too slow? She couldn't tell. Time still wasn't right, and it was so _frustrating_. Slower still wasn't better because it was too slow. "Rose, let go. You're a Time Lady, these are your time senses, you have to let go."

"I can't," she answered, and she thought she shook her head but she wasn't sure.

"It won't feel right again if you don't let go," he told her, and she believed him because everything was still wrong. She struggled to force her grip on that tight, slow feeling away, but she eventually, quickly, managed it.

As soon as she did, everything was fast again and she felt off balance. It was so startling, and she inhaled deeply.

"Rose, listen to me," the Doctor said, holding her face. "This is derealization. And you'll be okay."

It was incredibly hard to listen to him and focus really, but she tried as hard as she could. He still felt fake, though the feeling of their minds touching was edging that away slowly. And though it didn't go away completely, the feeling calmed her to the point where she could function much better. Like usual, things still felt a little too _wrong_ but she was much calmer, and she knew she could continue through the day.

It was a surprise to her, really, how easily the touch of the Doctor's mind helped her, mostly because nothing had ever helped before.

She pulled away from him and looked up into his eyes, smiling, albeit weakly. "Okay. I'm okay."

It was another two minutes of sitting and making sure she was _really_ okay before the pair made their way out of the room, leaving the beautiful view behind and closing the gate so no one would notice their intrusion.

They came back out into the large room, Rose's hand being held tightly by a worried Doctor as he explained the era to her. She remembered this specifically and smiled brightly.

"Fantastic period of history, human race at its most intelligent. Culture! Art! Politics! This era has got fine food, good manners, the works…"

"Out of the way!" a man grunted, interrupting the Doctor. He stopped walking, and Rose laughed aloud, mostly at the offended look on his face. "Let's get to it," the man said again as a buzz sounded and people rushed out to the now opening food stalls. "Thank you very much, indeed."

There were loud noises and talking all around them, people trying to make sales and others trying to decide what they wanted. It was absolutely chaotic, and the Doctor's mouth was still open slightly.

"You're gonna catch a fly if you keep that open," Rose laughed, looking at the Doctor now, who snapped his mouth shut immediately. "Fine cuisine?"

"Maybe we were wrong?" the Doctor suggested weakly, but he obviously knew it wasn't true.

"Both of us?"

The Time Lord sighed. "No, suppose not."

"Something's wrong here, isn't it?" Rose suggested, thinking of Floor 500. "That, or your history isn't as good as you thought it was."

"My history is perfect!" he defended, looking away from the food stands and at her now. He stared into her eyes, like he often did, and it sent a shiver down her body. She hated being there. She was with him, in the place where he would die. The Doctor stroked her hand with his thumb, and she relaxed a little. She still had some time with him, and she'd be with her other Doctor when this one regenerated. Her hearts settled a little at those thoughts, and she sighed.

"What about the aliens?" she wondered, remembering Adam's admittedly good question. "Where are they? Everyone here is human, or at least they look human."

"Good question," the Doctor nodded, glancing again at the people around them. His eyes caught on two women and he tugged Rose over, tapping one of them on the shoulder. They both stopped and looked at him, a little startled. "Um, this is gonna sound daft, but can you tell me where I am?"

"Floor 139," Cathica replied, pointing off to the large sign behind her. "Could they write it any bigger?"

Rose shook her head. "Floor 139 of what?"

"Must have been a hell of a party," she commented, looking at them like they were stupid.

"You are on Satellite Five," Suki supplied, and Rose felt her breath catch at the words. She hated this trip so much.

"What's Satellite Five?" the Doctor wondered, frowning.

"Come on, how could you get on board without knowing where you are?" Cathica looked at them critically, and Rose smiled softly. It was that curiosity and wonder that had saved them before.

"Look at me, I'm stupid," the Doctor answered, forgetting Rose. She smacked his arm and he coughed to cover his involuntary chuckle. "She's not, she just fell asleep on the way here."

"Hold on," Suki said, glancing at her friend and then back at the pair of them. "Wait a minute. Are you a test? Some sort of management test kind of thing?"

"You've got us," the Doctor admitted, and Rose could feel his smug relief at not having to come up with an excuse. "Well done. Too clever for us."

The Doctor pulled out his psychic paper, and Rose followed his lead, grabbing the one he'd given to her recently. They both showed them and the pair of girls in front of them looked suitably impressed.

"We were warned about this in basic training," Suki explained to Cathica, who was beginning to look annoyed. "All workers have to be versed in company promotion."

"Right, fire away," Cathica said, straightening. "Ask your questions. If it gets me to Floor 500, I'll do anything."

"Why?" the Doctor asked, and Rose was very willing to stay out of this part of the conversation. "What happens on Floor 500?"

"The walls are made of gold," Cathica answered, looking like she thought he really was stupid. "And you should know, Mr. Management."

Rose's eyes narrowed at Cathica, and she squeezed the Doctor's hand tighter. She hadn't known that the woman had flirted with the Doctor.

The Doctor glanced down at her, both startled and amused, and followed Cathica as she said… something. He wasn't sure what.

"...and over on the Bad Wolf channel, the Face of Boe has just announced he's pregnant."

Rose gasped, covering her mouth. Jack was pregnant? She could imagine some alien getting him pregnant as his normal, human self, but this was him as a… huge _head_. The Doctor glanced down at her and she shook her head. She knew he'd noted the connection between her and Boe, so it shouldn't come as a shock that she was so surprised… right?

But that wasn't the only thing she'd noticed. She'd heard it again, Bad Wolf. Still calling out to her. Which meant… she did have to do it again, didn't she? Or it wouldn't be there, right?

She wasn't sure, and it was driving her crazy.

"I get it," the Doctor nodded, a tone close to sarcastic coloring his voice. "You broadcast the news."

Cathica smiled a little, shaking her head briefly. "We are the news. We're the journalists. We write it, package it, and sell it. 600 channels, all coming out of Satellite Five, broadcasting everywhere. Nothing happens in the whole human empire without it going through us."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Promotion!"

The Doctor looked around the room as Cathica begged for a promotion. He felt an odd anxiety bubble up inside Rose, something that had happened frequently since they'd gotten there. He'd have to ask her about it later.

"Promotion for… Suki Macrae Cantrell. Please proceed to Floor 500."

"I don't believe it!" the girl said, standing up. Cathica looked… very much not happy, and the Doctor sighed. He had a feeling that whatever was on Floor 500, it was not good and definitely not walls made of gold.

"How the hell did you manage that?" Cathica spat. "I'm above you!"

"I don't know, I just applied on the off chance. And they've said yes!"

"So not fair," the woman in front of them complained. "I've been applying to Floor 500 for three years!"

The Doctor frowned at the sight in front of him. He had a bad feeling about the entire situation, and he wasn't sure how to help. Not yet.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

They said their goodbyes quickly, and Rose tuned out the conversation as she pushed away the grief for Suki. There was nothing they could do for her, not really. She knew no one would listen if they'd tried to stop her, and so they'd let her go to her death. It was an awful feeling.

"Have you ever been up there?" the Doctor asked a couple minutes later as they were walking.

"Can't. You need a key for the lift, and you only get a key with a promotion. No one gets to 500, except for the chosen few."

They made their way back into the circular white room that they were in before, and Rose leaned against the bars surrounding the platform.

"Look, they only give us twenty minutes maintenance. Can't you give it a rest?"

"But you've never been to another floor? Not even one floor down?" the Doctor asked, settling into the chair in the middle of the platform. Rose rolled her eyes softly as she noticed him looking vaguely at it in disgust.

"I went to floor sixteen when I first arrived," she shrugged. "That's medical. That's when I got my head done. And then I came straight here. Satellite Five, you work, eat, and sleep on the same floor, and that's it. That's all." She looked at the pair of them, Rose having moved to lean against the chair the Doctor was on. "You're not management, are you?"

Rose gave her a wide grin as the Doctor nodded firmly. "At last! She's clever!"

"Yeah, well, whatever it is, don't involve me. I don't know anything."

"Don't you even ask?" the Doctor wondered, disappointed.

"Why would I?"

Rose frowned. "It's your job!" she informed her. "You're a journalist."

The Doctor glanced at her, giving her a small smile before he turned back to the other woman. "Why's all the crew human?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" Cathica frowned, shifting uncomfortably.

"There's no aliens on board," he clarified. "Why?"

"I don't know," Cathica blinked. "No real reason. They're not banned or anything."

"But where are they?" Rose asked her. "Surely there should be _some_ aliens, right?"

"I suppose immigration's tightened up," she nodded, like she'd finally found a good excuse. "It's had to, what with all the threats."

"Threats?"

"I don't know… all of them. The usual stuff," she shifted uncomfortably under their gazes and continued. "And the price of space warp doubled, so that kept the visitors away. Oh, and the government of Chavic Five collapsed, so that lot stopped coming, you see? Just… lots of little reasons, that's all."

"Adding up to one great big fact, and you didn't even notice," the Doctor rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"Doctor, I think if there was some big conspiracy, Satellite Five would have seen it. We see everything."

"I can see better," the Doctor shook his head, standing. Rose reached for his hand and he squeezed it. She could feel his stress from the unknown situation and she wished she could help. At least, she thought, Adam wasn't there to make things worse. "This society's the wrong shape, even the technology."

"It's cutting edge!" Cathica argued.

"You think having a great big hole in your head is _cutting edge_?" Rose snorted.

"She's right," the Doctor nodded at Rose. "You should've chucked this out years ago!"

"So what's going on, then?" Rose muttered to the Doctor, and he looked down at her, startled by the sudden realization of just how close they were standing. He took an awkward step back before he answered.

"It's not just this space station," he told them, glancing between them. Rose's hand was still in his and he could feel the constant underlying anxiety running through her that had been there since they'd arrived, but he couldn't focus on that now. He sent her silent comfort through the bond as he continued on. "It's the whole attitude. It's the way people think."

"Like a journalist that isn't curious," Rose nodded, understanding his point.

"Exactly. The Great and Bountiful Human Empire is stunted. Something's holding it back."

"And how would you know?" Cathica asked, sounding frustrated. The pair looked up at her, surprised.

"Trust me," the Doctor said. "Humanity's been set back about ninety years." He tilted his head as a thought occurred to him. "When did Satellite Five start broadcasting?"

Cathica's eyes widened. "Ninety-one years ago."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"You're not allowed to touch the mainframe, we'll get told off!" Cathica whispered urgently. The Doctor barely looked up at her and Rose ignored her, leaning against the wall next to the Doctor.

"Rose, tell her to button it," the Doctor muttered, obviously annoyed at the interruption of his work.

Rose gave the woman a small smile. "He's trying to focus, really, he doesn't mean to be rude."

"Yes, he does," the Doctor said, though Rose could see a smile falling across his lips.

"You'll just vandalize the place, someone's gonna notice," Cathica insisted, looking over her shoulder.

The Doctor pulled the sonic away suddenly and passed it to Rose as he ripped open the panel in the wall. She flipped it around in her hand and wondered vaguely when she'd be getting her own sonic but set the thought aside to bring up later.

"This is nothing to do with me, I'm going back to work," Cathica declared, moving away from them.

"Go on then, see ya!" The Doctor answered as Rose rolled her eyes. Cathica stopped and turned to look at them, throwing her hands up.

"I can't just leave you, can I?"

"If you wanna be useful, get them to turn down the heating, it's boiling," Rose snapped. She was helping the Doctor work now and he was silently explaining what he was doing, a habit he'd picked up to help speed up her learning process.

"We keep asking, it's something to do with the turbines," the woman shook her head.

"Something to do with the turbines," the Doctor muttered, rolling his eyes. Rose had the sonic in her mouth as she worked, and the Doctor pulled it gently out to use it.

"Well, I don't know!"

"Exactly!" the Doctor snapped, pausing to look at her finally. "I give up on you, Cathica. Now, Rose. Look at Rose. Rose is asking the right kind of questions."

"Thank you," she winked at him, having paused when he said her name.

"Why is it so hot?" the Doctor asked Cathica again and the woman threw her hands in the air.

"One moment you're worried about the Empire, the next minute it's the central heating!"

"Never underestimate plumbing!" the Doctor told her seriously. "Plumbing is very important." He stopped talking as the sonic did its job, severing a bunch of wires. He held them up and Rose giggled slightly at the distressed look on Cathica's face. He pulled the monitor out for everyone to look at. "Here we go, Satellite Five pipes and plumbing. Look at the layout."

The women quickly looked at it and the problem was extremely obvious.

"This is ridiculous," Cathica gasped. "You've got access to the computer's core. You could look at the archive, the news, the stock exchange… and you're looking at pipes?"

Rose made a noise of frustration. "Stop it," she sighed. "Look at what we've been trying to tell you. Look at the pipes!"

The woman looked at Rose for a moment before doing what she'd said and frowned as she began to understand. "Cooling ducts, ice filters, it's all working flat out… Channelling massive amounts of heat down."

"All the way from the top," the Doctor nodded his arm wrapping around Rose and pulling her a little bit closer. "Something up there is generating tons and tons of heat."

"Well, let's go!" Rose said, plastering a smile on her face. "We're missing out down here."

"You can't you need a key," Cathica told her.

"You think we can get into the computer's core but not an elevator?" Rose laughed. "The Doctor can do it."

"Yep!" He agreed. "Keys are just codes and I've got the codes right here. Here we go…" He pressed a few buttons before reading off some numbers. Rose felt the suspicion roll off of him.

"How come it's giving you the codes?"

"Someone up there likes us."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Come on, come with us," Rose invited, though the Doctor was fairly certain the woman wouldn't. She was a victim of whatever had happened to the human empire. As much as he hated it, he also knew she wasn't completely at fault.

"No way!"

"Bye," the Doctor waved happily.

"Well, don't mention my name," Cathica insisted. The Doctor rolled his eyes. "When you get into trouble just don't involve me!"

And she ran off, leaving him alone with Rose once more. "Looks like it's just you and me."

"Good," Rose smiled softly, gripping his hand in hers. He squeezed back as the elevator began moving up quickly. It was a short trip and the Doctor was immediately apprehensive as the doors opened and revealed an icy room that was definitely not made of gold.

"The walls aren't made of gold."

"Yeah. but did you really think they would be?" Rose wondered, staying by his side. He felt her need to be close and knew it would be pointless to try and send her away - she'd never go.

The pair moved along the empty space until they found a room full of frozen computers and… people. Maybe. There was one man standing in the middle of the room who reminded the Doctor of the Snow Miser.

"I started without you," Snow Miser said, turning to look at them as he laughed. "This is fascinating. Satellite Five contains every piece of information within the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. Birth certificates, shopping habits, bank statements, but you two… You don't exist. There's not a trace. No birth, no job, not the slightest kiss. How can you walk through the world and not leave a single footprint?"

"Magic," Rose spat. Her eyes fell on Suki and she nodded. The Doctor followed her gaze and felt guilt rush through him as he understood. "She's dead, isn't she? But she's working…"

"They've all got chips in their head, and the chips keep going. Like puppets."

"Oh!" the man said, grinning at them. "You are full of information. But it's only fair we get some information back. Because, apparently, you're no one." He chuckled slightly. "It's so rare to not know something. Who are you?"

"Doesn't matter," the Doctor told him, gripping Rose tightly. "Cause we're off. Nice to meet you. Come on," he said to Rose. As he turned around, bodies slammed into him and grabbed him tightly, ripping him away from Rose. He saw her being grabbed too and his fear spiked.

"Tell me who you are," the man demanded.

"Since that information is keeping us alive, I'm hardly gonna say, am I?"

"Well, perhaps my editor-in-chief can convince you otherwise," the man said, stepping back slightly.

"And who's that?"

The man gave him a small, conspiratorial smile. "It may interest you to know that this is not the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. In fact, it's not actually human at all. It's merely a place where humans happen to live." There was a loud growling sound and the man mumbled for a moment in response before turning back to them. "It's a place where humans are _allowed_ to live by kind permission of my client." He pointed up and the attention shifted to the large mass of alien that was secured to the ceiling.

"You mean that thing is in charge of Satellite Five?" the Doctor asked, horror settling into his bones.

"That thing, as you put it, is in charge of the human race. For almost a hundred years, mankind has been shaped and guided. His knowledge and ambition strictly controlled by its broadcast news. Edited by my superior, your master, and humanity's guiding light, the Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hodrojassic Maxarodenfoe… I call him Max.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Create a climate of fear, and it's easy to keep the borders closed. It's just a matter of emphasis," the Editor informed them. The Doctor felt Rose shift uncomfortably in the manacles and wished he could do something to help her. "The right word in the right broadcast, repeated often enough, can destabilize an economy. Invent an enemy. Change a vote."

"So all of humanity are slaves," Rose growled, glaring at him darkly.

"Well, now, there's an interesting point. Is a slave a slave if he doesn't know he's enslaved?"

"Yes," the Doctor and Rose said together, both of them angry.

"Oh," the Editor pouted. "I was hoping for a philosophical debate. Is that all I'm gonna get? 'Yes.'"

"Yes."

"You're no fun," the Editor laughed.

"Let us out of these manacles, you'll find out how much fun we are."

"Oh, he's tough, isn't he? But come on! Isn't it a great system? You've got to admire it, just a little bit."

"But people noticed, didn't they?" Rose asked. "You couldn't hide something so big for this long without someone noticing."

"From time to time, someone, yes. But the computer chip system allows me to see inside their brains. I can see the smallest doubt and crush it."

"Or crush them," Rose muttered.

"And then they just carry on, living the life, strutting about downstairs and all over the surface of the earth, like they're so individual. When, of course, they're not. They're just cattle. In that respect, the Jagrafess hasn't changed a thing." The Doctor's eyes shifted until he spotted Cathica wandering around in the next room, looking decidedly upset.

"But you're not a Jagrafess," Rose said, keeping the man's attention on her. "What's your place in all of this?"

"I represent a consortium of banks," he told them. The Doctor felt Rose's frustration climb. It really was always about money, she was right about that. "Money prefers a long-term investment. Also, the Jagrafess needed a little hand to, um, install himself."

"No wonder," the Doctor looked up again at the creature above them. "Creature that size, what's its life span?"

"Three thousand years," the Editor answered willingly.

"That's one hell of a metabolism, generating all that heat. That's why Satellite Five is so hot," he said, hoping Cathica would get the hint. He could only give her as much information as possible, being in the position he was in. "You pump it out of the creature, channel it downstairs. Jagrafess stays cool, stays alive." And, just to get the point through completely, he stated the obvious. "Satellite Five is one great big life-support system."

"But _that's_ why you're so dangerous!" The Editor pointed for emphasis. "Knowledge is power, but you remain unknown."

And then he snapped, and a horrible pain began as the manacles zapped both him and Rose. He could feel both of their pain and he knew she could, too. The pain increased as he turned the settings up, and the Doctor ground his teeth to keep from screaming. Rose let out a whimper, and that was more than the Doctor could handle. She never seemed to make noise when she was in pain.

And then, abruptly, it ended. The Doctor caught the Editor's eyes and knew he looked as urgent as he felt. "Leave her alone. I'm the Doctor. She's Rose Tyler. We're nothing, we're just wandering."

"Tell me who you are!"

"I've just said," the Doctor snapped.

"Yeah, but who do you work for? Who knows about us?" The man paused as the Jagrafess said something to him, and the Doctor felt Rose's fear spike once more. The Editor's gaze shifted to Rose solely now, ignoring the Doctor completely. "You're a Time Lady."

"What?" the Doctor felt his control slipping. How did he know? "Someone's been telling you lies."

"Oh, I don't think so," the Editor shook his head, snapping. A screen popped up and they saw their moment earlier when Rose had been using her time senses, trying to calm down.

" _You're a Time Lady, these are your Time Senses, you have to let go."_

There's something wrong with her, isn't there?" the Editor asked, waving his hand to show her obvious panic attack. "Oh, but she certainly isn't human… let's see how well she does with the highest setting."

The Doctor barely had time to register what the man had said before he felt Rose's pain and heard her screams. It was agonizing and for a brief moment, he wished they didn't have their bond. Still, he brushed his fingers against her arm and sent as much comfort through it as possible.

"Today, we are the headlines," the Editor announced. "My employer seems to know what a Time Lady is… and we can rewrite history. We could prevent mankind from ever developing."

"And no one's gonna stop you. Because you've bred a human race which doesn't bother to ask questions. Stupid little slaves, believing every lie. They'll just trot right into the slaughter house if they're told it's made of gold." The Doctor stopped talking very quickly as he felt Rose fall limp, her manacles forcing her to stand even while unconscious. His breath left him at the sight of her pale, and he felt her mind retreating from the pain. He wished he could help her, take her from that place and make sure she was safe, but he couldn't.

An alarm blared, distracting the Editor. The Doctor ignored it, though he was fairly certain it was Cathica. He pushed himself gently into Rose's mind and stroked it, terrified by how unresponsive it was. He wasn't sure how bad the highest setting really was, but he had a feeling it'd kill her if she didn't get out soon.

The Doctor's manacles malfunctioned - Rose's probably taking most of the power - and he slipped out of them, using his sonic to release Rose as well. She shook in his arm as he lifted her up gently, carrying her easily as he forced himself to focus on the situation around them.

Cathica was venting the heat to floor 500, essentially ensuring the Jagrafess would sit on top of a volcano. What came next would not be pretty, so he ran as fast as he could and got out of there.

The trip down to floor 139 was rather quick, and he sped his way over to the TARDIS, banging his way in and barely remembering to close the door behind him. He only slowed down when he reached the medbay, just so that he could focus on healing Rose.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	13. Father's Day

**Hey! Sorry for the long ass break. My mental health plummeted, and my migraines are back with a vengeance as well. Last night, however, I got the urge to reread what I'd written of this so far and decided it was time to get back to it! Hopefully this lasts!**

 **Anyways, enjoy!**

 **Father's Day**

"I'd like to go see him," Rose whispered, startling the Doctor from his silence. They'd secluded themselves in a far corner of the library once again, content to just be together quietly. The Doctor had given Rose a book, and she'd given him a photo album that her mum had given her barely a month before Henrik's had been blown up. It contained pictures from her entire life, excluding her time away from home. There were even some of her parents before she was born, when they really looked happy.

"Who?"

She nodded at the picture he was looking at - one of Pete Tyler holding her and smiling the softest, happiest smile. It had always been one of her favorites. "My dad."

"Rose…"

"No, look, I understand," she promised. "I know I can't interfere. For whatever reason, he died. And I won't deny that if he'd lived, my life might've been very different. I could never have met you, and done any of this. But Doctor... " she bit her lip, looking away from him and back at the picture. "He died alone. I just… want to give him some sort of peace in the end, you know?"

The Doctor was silent as he considered the request. "You've saved people since you met me, Rose. If that never happened, if we never met, those people might've died. His… death, it's a fixed point. And beyond that, if you changed it, you wouldn't be… the way you are. You'd be human. Nothing would be the same."

"I know."

"Okay," he agreed, staring down at her sad eyes. "We can go see him."

And then they dropped the subject, settling back into their separate things. Now wasn't the time - they both knew it. Besides, it had only been two days since the incident with the Editor, and the Doctor wasn't likely to let Rose out of his sight, much less the TARDIS.

In the end, it was nearly a week before they were both ready to leave again, and he landed the TARDIS around the corner. Rose made her way slowly into the console room, her loose, baby pink dress swaying around her, the leather jacket a nice contrast to the sweet color. She looked up at him and he could easily see the trepidation floating below the smile.

Silently, he offered his hand, and she took it. They made their way to her parents wedding and watched as Pete butchered Jackie's name, but Rose didn't care. Tears threatened to spill anyway.

After that, they pushed onwards and made the quick jump in the TARDIS, just moving forward slightly in time to after Rose was born, when a family friend was getting married. The pair stood on the sidewalk silently, waiting. Rose had told the Doctor what happened before, so he'd know what to expect. She'd asked him to hold her back, just in case she couldn't resist the urge, and he respected the way she admitted the weakness so willingly. He gripped her hips tightly, pulling her against his chest as Pete Tyler stepped out of his car, leaning back in to pick up the gift before slamming the door.

And then he stepped into the street.

And it was over, and the Doctor released his young companion. She was completely still, and he gently pushed her forward. "Go to him."

So she did.

Rose ran, the trip to his still body short. She fell to the ground and found herself close to him, her tears already spilling. Her eyes raked over his body as he looked at her, a small frown marring his features.

"It's me, it's Rose," she told him quickly. "I'm here."

"Rose…" he whispered, unable to do more. She nodded quickly.

"I'm here. I came. Didn't want my dad to die alone."

And then, with an odd amount of understanding, he lifted his hand to her cheek, giving her a weak smile. It lasted barely a moment before it was all over, and she felt him still in her arms.

"Dad?" she gasped. "No, no, Dad, please."

"Rose," the Doctor whispered, having moved over as he felt the fixed point fade away. "He's gone." He gently pried her fingers off of the man and managed to pull her away before the ambulance could get there - the last thing she needed was questions about her father's death, ones she wouldn't be able to answer.

Her brain was a flurry as they moved into the TARDIS, rampant thoughts of the Pete Tyler that ran Torchwood and spied on Lumic and took her in, claiming her as his own barely distinguishable from the sight of her father, lying limp on the ground. Her heart ached at the thought that she'd never see the father that had grown to love her again, and she cried for him, having already mourned the father of this universe over many years.

She cried, thinking of her time when she'd arrived first, when he'd saved her and brought her to that universe instead of letting her fall into the void, and how he'd brought her into his home, and she'd seen some of his armor crack as he gained the family he'd sorely wanted for so long.

She cried over the memory of their arguments, how she demanded to join Torchwood and he refused to let her until she went out alone without any backup or technology and came out the other end victorious. He'd reluctantly let her join, pairing her with Mickey and Jake until he'd seen how she worked better alone, better with only her logic that never seemed like actual logic until it was. He only ever paired her with Mickey if he decided she needed someone, something she'd been endlessly grateful for.

She cried for how many times he'd woken her up from her nightmares, how he'd moved his office nearer to her bedroom so he'd notice them.

She cried for how truly _happy_ he made her mum, and how he took care of the woman they both loved so much so completely.

She cried for how upset he was, how angry he was when he knew her plan in the end, and how she'd not been able to truly say goodbye, and how she'd never truly be able to say goodbye.

She cried for the sight of him banging futilely on the window, screaming words she couldn't hear as she could see his heart break, being unable to do more than mouth that she was sorry.

She cried for the fact that, in the end, she hadn't even been able to remind him that she loved him.

Her pain was palpable, and it was uncontrolled as she let it all out finally.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Rose," a voice said softly. Her eyes shot to the door, where it had come from, and she blinked at the man in front of her.

"Doctor?"

"I really shouldn't be here," he admitted, giving her a lopsided smile that made her hearts feel a little lighter. "Too much could go wrong, and the timelines are already so stressed."

"Then why are you?" She wondered, closing her book and pushing the blanket off of her. The door to her room was closed, as it had been for nearly a full day now, so she had to assume the Doctor had gotten in some other way. He frowned at the sight of her - pyjamas, messy hair, old makeup and tear stains.

"Because someone needs to tell you it'll be okay," he whispered, swiftly closing the space between them to pull her to his chest. Her breath caught at the movement, but she let herself relax into his grip. One hand rested on her head, the other on the small of her back, holding her close. "I know it hurts, Rose."

"I miss him-,"

"I know," the Doctor nodded, kissing her head.

"I have to see him again," she commented. "When we go to the parallel world, and I don't know how I'll do it."

"With the same righteous anger at what's happening that got you through it the first time. Lumic hurt those people - he had to be stopped, he has to be."

She nodded quietly, breathing in his scent. "He's the only father I've ever had, and I only had a few years with him… I'll never see him again."

"Sometimes… we lose people, because better, more nobler things have to be done. In this case, you had to stop the 456," he paused, frowning. "I'm still not convinced no one else could've done it, but that's an argument for another time."

Rose was silent for a moment. "I mourned the loss of my dad from this universe, you know, a long time ago. And then… I made that mistake, when I was first travelling with you. I didn't mean to save him, it wasn't the plan, I just… saw a chance, and I took it."

"That's why you asked me to hold onto you," the Doctor said, nodding his understanding.

"Yeah… kinda. I don't think, knowing what would happen, I could've done it again. But I needed to be held, I needed that grounding. I barely made it through as is, without you touching me, keeping my mind there…" The Doctor nodded again. "But this time, it was so different. He felt like some stranger, at first, rather than my father. And then, when he was gone, and I was just holding his body… all I could imagine was my dad from Pete's world, the one that took care of me when I was at my worst and gave me a job and reason and… really made me feel as close to you as I could, even being so far away. And I guess that just… spiralled."

The Doctor was silent for a moment before he pulled out of the hug and guided her over to the bed, sitting next to her so he could look at her intently. "Rose, you knew going in that what you're doing is… hard, immensely hard. And extremely unheard of. No one's done this before. Which means, I suppose, that there's not very much advice waiting to reach you. But this is extremely important and a little bit harsh, okay?"

Rose nodded warily.

"You don't really… have time to mourn," he sighed. "That comes later, when it's all over and you can tell me everything and I can be there for you. Mourning alone is… unhealthy."

"Hypocrite," she whispered, earning herself a stern look.

"When it's all over, you can mourn for the people you lost and the people you couldn't save," he promised. "But for now, do just one thing for me, yeah? Be strong. I know you can - you're the strongest person I've ever met."

She eyed him warily. "Is that why you and River keep showing up? To keep me strong? And… sane?"

The Doctor grinned, laughing a little. "You, Rose Tyler, have never been completely sane, I think."

"Oi!"

The Doctor laughed brightly at her indignation. "There we are. Welcome back."

She rolled her eyes, though a smile had fallen on her lips. "I don't want you to go."

He gave her a gentle smile. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Tyler. You'll get to me eventually."

And then he stood, backing away from her slightly. There was a regretful smile now, and she stood too, though she didn't move closer to him. "When will I see you again?"

"When you do," he shook his head. "You've got to live it, Rose."

"I hate time travel," she lied, and he let out a laugh.

"I'll be seeing you," he whispered, a sad smile on his lips as, this time, he did use the door. She waited until it was closed again and followed to look in the hall, sighing when she found it empty.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	14. The Empty Child

**Ah! This is what I have been waiting for. Jack! Unfortunately, in canon, he isn't actually in many episodes of season one, and that bothers me because Jack is precious so my** _ **plan**_ **is to add a few extra tidbits with Jack before getting to the end of the season. Because he's great and I love him and he deserves more.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **The Empty Child**

"Rose you cannot kick that robot, it will kill y- _oh my god_ ," River yelled, staring at her friend as she kicked the robot and dodged just in time. "How the hell did you do that?"

"Will you focus on shooting them please?" Rose called back, irritated. "Where did the Doctor go?"

"I think he went to find the control station," River replied, shooting a hole into a robot and shutting it down. "They get their commands from there and if he can shut it down-,"

"No commands, no murderous robots," she nodded, ducking and pushing herself to the side "So if he's doing that, he probably needs his sonic, huh?"

"Yes, I'd assume so."

Rose let out a grunt as she slammed a nearby wooden plank into the head of the robot heading for her friend's back. "So it probably isn't good that I've got it, then."

River spun around, eyes wide. "Why do _you_ have it?"

"Because I was breaking into the captain's room to find the stolen journal and I needed it!" She defended hotly. "This wouldn't be a problem if he'd just give me my own sonic!"

"Definitely not," the Doctor yelled, running wildly into the action to pluck the sonic from her hand. "Be right back!"

Rose let out a frustrated groan and slammed her elbow into the glass face of the robots. "These remind me a lot of the robots that tried to cut me and Mickey up while the Doctor was in France."

" _Right_ , your first time when he was gone for… how long was it?"

"Months," she grumbled. "And he didn't even notice!"

River shot another robot in the face, turning to look at her. "And you didn't bring it up."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Rose pointed out, annoyed. "That timeline is gone. If he runs away to France again, I'm going with him."

"You do that," River chuckled as Rose plucked a sword from a fallen robot and rammed it into another one. "What is taking him so long?"

"I don't know but we're outnumbered," the younger woman muttered, hissing as a metal claw dug into her hip, ripping her shirt slightly. River shot the robot that had gotten too close, and Rose kicked it to the ground.

Luckily for them, it was barely thirty seconds later when the Doctor finally managed to shut them down, and the pair rushed over to find him, though they only met him halfway since he was already running over.

"Are you okay?" he asked Rose, his eyes falling to her hip.

"I'm fine," she waved off the concern, glancing back at River. "Do you need a lift somewhere?"

"Yeah, set me on Oganess 294 if you can," she requested.

"Will do," the Doctor muttered, more than happy to be rid of her. The trip was quick, and once they landed on the orange planet, they said goodbye to River and Rose let the Doctor pull her into the med bay. She pulled off the torn shirt and her jacket - which had narrowly been missed - and set them aside while the Doctor worked with the dermal regenerator.

"How did this happen?" he asked her with a frown.

She shrugged lightly, the motion only a little bit painful. "I didn't see him."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, but he was cut off by the TARDIS rocking violently to the side, sending the Doctor to the floor while Rose gripped the table she was sitting on.

"What the hell is that?" she asked as the Doctor rushed out into the console room, grabbing screens.

"The TARDIS locked onto something!"

Her breath caught as she had a hint of what might be happening. Noting her shirtless state, she ran quickly to her room to change clothes. She picked up a dress and paused, aware of the events coming and set it down, instead finding a pair of high waisted shorts, fishnets, an old band shirt, and her combat boots. Plucking a pair of leather gloves that the TARDIS obviously placed on her vanity, she skipped out of the room. She stopped by the med bay to get her jacket and slipped it back on as she made her way back to the Doctor, frowning.

"What is it? What's the emergency?"

"It's mauve!"

"Mauve," she repeated.

"Universally recognized color for danger," he explained to her, staring at the screens.

"And red is…?"

"That's just humans," he scoffed. "By everyone else's standards, red's camp. Oh, the misunderstandings. All those red alerts, all that dancing."

"Sounds dangerous," she commented.

"A bit. I've got a very basic flight computer I've hacked in, slaved the TARDIS. Wherever it goes, we go!"

"Doesn't sound very safe, is it?"

"Totally!" He denied, offended. The console sparked madly, and both of them backed up. "Okay, reasonably! Should have said 'reasonably' there!"

"What can I do?" she asked, watching him move about.

He didn't answer, his eyes glued to the screen as it moved. "No, no, no, no! It's jumping time tracks, getting away from us!"

"And what is it?" she questioned, moving to turn off the parking brake, allowing them to move faster and more smoothly. He glanced up and nodded, pointing at the lever to her right, and she moved it up a tiny bit, knowing that any more could very well send them flying straight past the thing - what she knew to be a Chula ambulance.

"No idea!"

"So, we're chasing it because…?"

"It's mauve and dangerous and about thirty seconds from the center of London."

She focused on helping him, twisting a dial that he couldn't quite reach and pulling it up to engage it. He nodded thankfully, glancing back at the screen, and the pair focused from then on landing safely.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Of all the species in all the universe and milk has to come out of a cow," the Doctor mumbled bitterly. "Must've come down quite close. WIthin a mile, anyway. And it can't have been more than a few weeks, maybe a month."

"A month?" she blinked. "We were right behind it. Is that what that means, jumping time tracks?"

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded proudly. "It's like skipping along tracks in time, tracks that other people have made before."

"So someone else has traveled to…" she paused to focus. "1942 before?"

"Yep, me," he agreed. "I'd assume those are my time tracks. They came from a TARDIS. You can tell by the size of them and how they traveled in time and space at the same time."

"So, what did you do in 1942?"

"I went to see Bambi."

Rose stopped in her tracks. "What?"

"Yeah, it came out in August. It wasn't actually my idea, Susan wanted to see it."

Rose shook her head in surprise. They came to the door and the Doctor knelt down to sonic it open, glancing at her. "Are you sure about that outfit?"

She rolled her eyes, remembering what she'd worn last time. "Better than my other options."

"Mummy..."

Rose's head shot up, looking around curiously the same way she had last time. Her heart rate picked up, and she wandered over slowly, pulling the gloves from her pocket and putting them on. She didn't feel the need to get rope burn on her hands again.

"Come on if you're coming," the Doctor called. "Won't take a minute."

And with that, he disappeared through the door, leaving her alone to prepare for her first meeting with Jack.

"Mummy…" the voice called again. She sucked in a deep breath and rushed up the stairs nearby, glancing at the poor little boy as she moved. She reached the top and glanced at the familiar rope with a frown and, before she could think about it, grabbed on. She bunched herself up tightly as she slowly made her way up the rope, tensing as the barrage balloon began to move away from the building. She wrapped the bottom of the rope around her legs, though she didn't think it was strictly necessary - she'd built up almost all of the muscle and strength she'd had in Pete's world, and she'd found a training room deep in the TARDIS that had helped her regain the muscle memory of fighting. Since her upper body strength was significantly better than it had been at this point in the original timeline, she felt confident that she wouldn't fall before Jack could find her.

None of that helped, however, with her fear at the sight of bombs being dropped around London. It was a terrifying sight, something she certainly had not missed. The fire raging below was hard to look at, so she did her best not to.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Rose!" The Doctor called, rushing around the alley. He felt her fear, how dull it was like she was trying to ignore it, but he also could feel that she definitely did not stick close by like he'd hoped for. He turned a corner and saw a cat, but before he could pick it up, the TARDIS… started ringing.

"How can it be ringing? What's that about, ringing? What am I supposed to do with a ringing phone?" He asked, plucking his sonic from his pocket.

"Don't answer it. It's not for you."

He turned to find a young woman shifting nervously as she looked at him. "And how do you know that?"

"Cause I do," she replied sharply. "And I'm telling you, don't answer it."

"Well, if you know so much, tell me this. How can it be ringing? It's not even a real phone, it's not connected, it's not…" he trailed off as he looked back to see she'd disappeared. Putting away his sonic, he did the only thing he could think to do - he answered the phone.

"Hello? This is the Doctor speaking. How may I help you?"

"Mummy? Mummy?"

"Who is this?" the Doctor demanded. "Who's speaking?"

"Are you my mummy?"

"Who is this?" he asked again.

"Mummy?"

"How did you ring it? This isn't a real phone, it's not wired up to anything, it's not-,"

"Mummy?"

The Doctor pulled the phone away from his ear with a frown and hung it up. He stuck his head in the door and looked around. "Rose? Rose, are you in there?" He knew she wasn't, he could feel that she wasn't so close by, but he didn't know what else it could be.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose let out a scream as a plane flew right by her and wondered if she'd been up so long the first time. It certainly didn't feel like it. Her hip screamed in pain as the skin tore open again, having not been healed properly before they were interrupted. The position she was in only tore at it, and she knew it was likely worse than the original cut now.

She could've held on longer if a plane hadn't flown just a little too close and knocked her off the rope, sending her falling freely. She closed her eyes, sucking in breaths and trying with everything she had to ignore the feeling of falling freely.

Luckily, Jack's beam grabbed onto her just in time, and she breathed a sigh of relief at the feeling of being suspended in mid air instead of falling.

"Okay, okay, I've got you," he called, and she let out a laugh, joy filling her at the sound of his voice.

"Yeah… thanks," she replied.

"I'm just programming your descent pattern," he explained. "Stay as still as you can and keep your hands and feet inside the light field."

"Because I'd put them somewhere else," she mumbled. Her phone had been left in the TARDIS as she'd taken it out of her pocket to change clothes and had forgotten to grab it again.

"Alright, hold tight," he requested.

"To _what_?" she asked because really it was a very stupid suggestion.

"Fair point."

With that, she began falling, but this time towards Jack's ship and not helplessly to the ground. She shot into the ship and let out the breath she'd been holding when Jack caught her.

"I got you, you're fine," he assured her, though she already knew it. "The tractor beam, it can scramble your head just a little."

This time, she paid attention and was shocked to find that she did feel a little out of sorts and confused, though she definitely didn't think she'd be passing out. She looked at him, wondering at how staring in his eyes didn't hurt like it had the last time she'd seen him. "Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello, Jack," she grinned, still dazed. He looked at her suspiciously and set her down.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she promised.

"And you know my name because..?"

Cursing softly in Old High Gallifreyan, realizing her mistake. "Ah, time travel. It gets confusing, doesn't it?"

He looked surprised, likely at her willingness to admit she was a time traveler. "You know me?"

"I do," she admitted. Her fingers ran through her hair, pulling it away from her face, but she paused to wince painfully, reminded of the cut in her hip as the adrenalin wore off.

"Holy-," Jack looked at the blood on her shirt. "What happened there?"

She looked down and pulled up the shirt to see the nasty injury. "I got stabbed by a robot. We were trying to fix me up when we saw that thing flying toward London. I'd have been fine if I hadn't ended up hanging above London by barrage balloon."

"Looks pretty deep," he murmured. "Why did a robot stab you?"

She shrugged. "We don't really know, I think River pissed someone off. They certainly weren't focused on the Doctor, just River and I."

"And the Doctor and River, they are..?"

"River is my friend, the Doctor is…" she frowned. "Ah, also my friend. Um, you don't happen to have anything to heal this, do you?"

"As a matter of fact…" he pulled out what she knew to be a Chula scanner - he'd probably taken it from the ship they were on, which he'd stolen - and pointed it at her hip. "I'm guessing you're not a time agent, then, if you know me."

"Nope, sorry," she smiled sympathetically. "Looking to sell that ambulance you dropped?" He gave her a guarded look and she rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not gonna judge you for being a con man. There's a lot worse things you can do in life."

"So, if you're not a time agent, then who are you?"

"I'm Rose Tyler," she smiled as she introduced herself. She was finding it a little hard to look at him without thinking about how his future self had lost Jimmy, and she felt her smile slip from her lips.

"Well, Rose Tyler," he knelt down, his hand coming to touch the skin around the cut. "We'd better fix you up."

"This is a Chula ship so… nanogenes?"

"Yep," he agreed, standing again. He reached behind her and flipped a switch, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she felt her skin slowly stitching back together. She avoided his gaze, trying to forget the last time she saw him. "And what's that look about?"

"Huh?" She blinked, looking back at him now. "I don't know what you mean."

"Ah, come on," he pressed, nudging her lightly. "That's a lot of emotion when you look at me."

"I don't know how much I can say, Jack," she admitted. "If I tell you too much… you might run off."

"I don't scare easily."

"The last time I saw you, you gave me some pretty bad news," she said slowly. "You made a mistake, and I don't blame you for it…"

"But?" he frowned now, curious of what he'd done.

"But it put me in danger," she tried. "And usually I don't mind danger, but this… this kind is the only kind that really scares me."

He looked over her face, noting the flurry of emotions that seemed to overtake her.

"I didn't think I'd have problems seeing you," she admitted. "I'm not even upset, mostly because it wasn't really your fault, it just… you know, it just reminds me of what happened."

"Did I hurt you?" he wondered slowly. There was an old, deep fear in her and he couldn't tell if it was from him.

"No," she assured him quickly. "Ah- I know I'll tell you this eventually since you said I do, so I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

He waved her toward a seat and the pair sat side by side. Jack was surprised how much of a connection he already felt with her and how much he didn't feel like running away - something he often did when things didn't go his way.

"So… April 16th, 2005, I go to take a walk and I'm attacked by- by someone from my past. He stabbed me and choked me, and you saved me from him. You and a friend of yours. You kept him locked up, I uh… I think you were going to kill him. Instead, a coworker let him out."

"And you think he'll come after you again?" Jack wondered when he realized she was done talking. "Why?"

"Because he won't leave me alone until I'm dead," she said, her voice stiff. That same anxiety she felt every time she talked about Jimmy rose in her and she felt just a little sick.

"How can you be sure of that?"

"Because he's tried it before," she told him sharply. "Too many times, Jack. I can't- this isn't the time to tell you about him or I would. Listen, Jack, I need to get back to the Doctor. He's going to be worried about me."

"Take a minute," Jack suggested. "I'm sure you showing up all worked up like this won't help him relax."

She had to admit that he was right and she sighed, looking around. "You got anything to drink?"

He let out a laugh. "Go outside, I'll meet you with a drink for us."

She did as he said and gasped once more at the sight before her. He quickly followed her, and she turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Big Ben?"

"First rule of active camouflage," he said. "Park somewhere you'll remember."

"You're not worried about the German air raid around us?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

"Nah," he shook his head. "They've got other things to focus on."

"Right."

"Do you like Glenn Miller?"

Her face lit up, and she nodded excitedly as he turned the song on. The pair started dancing, and she relished in the moment - a moment she'd always treasured.

"It's 1941. The height of the London Blitz. The height of the German bombing campaign. And something else has fallen on London."

"Was this gonna be your pitch?" she asked curiously, smiling up at him. "Charm the time agent into buying an ambulance?"

"That was the plan," he agreed. "I don't mind charming you instead."

"Ah, Jack, I'm already charmed," she winked. "And I'm sure you'd have stolen my heart if it was available."

"Sure, but there's no harm in flirting," he pointed out. She threw her head back and laughed.

"There never is with you."

"Tell me about your River and Doctor," he requested.

"Well, River just visits from time to time," she told him. "The Doctor and I travel in our TARDIS. We're Time Lords."

Jack paused to look at her. "Time Lords. I thought they were just a myth."

She grinned. "Nope."

"So you two… what? Ran away from home?"

"I suppose you could say that," she shrugged, still swaying back and forth. "I was born on earth, actually. The Doctor came from Gallifrey."

"How does that work? Are there Time Lords on earth?"

"No," she paused. "Actually, there's one, but that's got nothing to do with me. I was born human."

"And now you're a Time Lord? Uh… Lady?"

"Yep. It was a complicated situation. I'll have to explain later. We really should be getting to the Doctor."

"Right. I'll do a scan for alien tech."

"Oh, and Jack?"

"Hm?"

"You can't tell the Doctor that I knew it's an ambulance."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"They're not dead," Constantine said, smacking a trash can with his cane. The noise startled the patients and they all sat up, shocking the Doctor. "It's alright. They're harmless. They just sort of sit there. No heartbeat, no life signs of any kind. They just… don't die."

"And they've just been left here?" the Doctor asked, horrified. "Nobody's doing anything?"

"I try and make them comfortable. What else is there?"

"Just you? You're the only one here?"

"Before this war began, I was a father and a grandfather. Now I am neither. But I'm still a doctor."

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded shortly. "I know the feeling."

"I suspect the plan is to blow up the hospital and blame it on a German bomb," Constantine told him.

"Probably too late."

"I know," he nodded. "There are isolated cases-," he shifted, coughing a little. "Isolated cases breaking out all over London… stay back, stay back," he insisted as he doubled over. The Doctor stopped in his steps, staring. "Listen to me. Top floor. Room 802. That's where they took the first victim. The one from the crash site. And you must find Nancy again."

"Nancy?" the Doctor asked, confused.

"It was her brother," the man explained quickly. "She knows more than she's saying. She won't tell me, but she-," he cut off abruptly, his hand shooting to his neck. "Mum...Mummy… Are… you… my… mummy?"

The Doctor watched, horrified, as Constantine's face morphed into the same as the patients in the beds. He was interrupted from his thoughts by a voice in the hall.

"Hello? Doctor!"

Relief rushed through him. He'd felt her shifting emotions and was completely unsure what was happening. He'd have been looking for her if Nancy hadn't sent him to the hospital.

"Hello!" Another voice called, making him frown. He left the room, moving down the hallway to find Rose standing next to a familiar man, holding onto his arm.

"Rose?" the Doctor asked, quirking an eyebrow up.

"Doctor, this is Jack," she introduced. The face fell into place, a face from her memories, and she nodded. This was the man that had saved her, the one she'd said he couldn't meet yet.

"I see," he muttered.

"It's a real pleasure to meet you," Jack grinned, walking through the doors behind him. He grabbed Rose's arm before she could follow, looking down at her blood-soaked shirt.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded, lifting her shirt to show him perfectly healed skin. "Jack used some nanogenes to heal me."

"Your emotions, I could feel them-,"

"I'm okay," she promised. "Let's go."

With that, she moved past him and into the large room where he'd just seen Constantine… change.

"This is impossible," Jack muttered, scanning a patient. "How did this happen?"

"What kind of Chula ship landed here?" the Doctor asked.

"What?"

"What was it?"

Jack looked between Rose and the Doctor, remembering the conversation they'd had on what the Doctor could know that Rose knew. "It was an ambulance."

"He said he was going to con time agents," Rose continued.

"This started at the bomb site!" the Doctor snapped, stepping toward Jack. He noticed the way Rose moved closer to her friend defensively and scoffed inwardly.

"It's empty!" Jack defended. "I made sure of it. Nothing but a shell. I threw it at you - saw your TARDIS as Rose said, love the retro look by the way - and threw it at you, thought you were time agents. Whatever's happening here, it's got nothing to do with me!"

"And what _is_ happening?" Rose asked quietly.

"Human DNA is being rewritten… by an idiot." Her confusion pulsed over the bond, prompting him to continue. She truly hadn't been paying much attention the first time. "I don't know, some kind of virus converting human beings into these things, but why? What's the point?"

The three quieted as they looked at the patients, Rose slipping her hand into the Doctor's, relaxing when he held on tight.

As they looked around, all of the patients shot up at once, making them jump back. They all started calling for their mummy, and the Doctor pulled Rose closer to his side.

"What's happening?" she asked, tugging at Jack to move away from a bed.

"I don't know," the Doctor said nervously. "Don't let it touch you," he advised as they all backed up, the patients now out of bed and forcing them into a corner.

"What happens if they touch us?"

"You're looking at it."

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	15. The Doctor Dances

**I just wanna let you all know that I'm writing this at 3am in the dark.**

 **This is what I do for this fic.**

 **Now I'm gonna climb into bed with my fiance and not sleep for a week.**

 **Enjoy! (Because I certainly didn't.)**

 **The Doctor Dances**

"Go to your room!"

The horde of patients stopped immediately, standing silently still.

"Go to your room!" the Doctor repeated, more sternly this time. "I mean it. I'm very, very angry with you. I'm very, very cross. Go to your room!"

Slowly they all began to move back to their beds, leaving the three safe once more. Rose wrapped her arm around the Doctor's while he breathed out a sigh of relief. "I'm really glad that worked. Those would've been terrible last words."

Rose moved back over, kneeling down to look closer at the patients. She grimaced at the sight of the fused flesh. "They're not… wearing these, are they? These gas masks, they're a part of them."

"Exactly right," Jack agreed.

"How was your con supposed to work?" the Doctor asked.

"Simple enough, really. Find some harmless piece of space junk, let the nearest time agent track it back to earth, convince them it's valuable and name a price. When they've put fifty percent upfront… oops. German bomb falls on it, destroys it forever. They never get to see what they've paid for, never knows they've been had. I buy them a drink with their own money and we discuss dumb luck. The perfect self-cleaning con."

"Yeah. Perfect."

"The London Blitz is perfect for self-cleaners," Jack defended as Rose rolled her eyes. "Pompeii is nice if you wanna make a vacation of it, but you gotta set your alarm for volcano day." He chuckled, staring at the angry look on the Doctor's face and the way Rose shook her head at him. "Getting a hint of disapproval."

"Take a look around the room. This is what your piece of harmless space junk did."

"It was a burnt out medical transporter," Jack argued. "It was empty!"

The Doctor turned around, reaching for Rose's hand. "Rose."

"Where are we going?"

"Upstairs!"

Jack stood, rushing after them, feeling defensive. "I even programmed the flight computer so it wouldn't land on anything living. I harmed no one! I don't know what's happening here but believe me, I had nothing to do with it."

"I'll tell you what's happening," the Doctor glared. "You forgot to set your alarm clock. It's volcano day."

An alarm rang in the air and Rose glanced around. "What's that?"

"The all clear," Jack told her, wondering more and more about their apparent friendship, considering the way the Doctor seemed to hate him so much.

"I wish," the Doctor muttered, walking through the door. Rose stayed behind, sighing.

"He's just tense," she promised. "He's not always like this."

"Seems a bit protective of you," Jack told her.

"Yeah, just a bit," she laughed. "Don't let it get to you."

"Oh, I won't," he promised. "It's getting to him, though… this isn't my fault, Rose."

She just gave him a small smile and left after the Doctor. Reluctantly, he did the same. They ran to catch up, finding him on a stairwell.

"Doctor!"

He looked at Jack curiously. "Have you got a blaster?"

"Sure," he replied, running up the stairs as he pulled his precious blaster from his jacket pocket.

"The night your space junk landed, someone was hurt. This was where they were taken," the Doctor explained, waving at the door they stood in front of.

"And?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Not sure. Let's find out." He looked at Jack. "Get it open."

Rose smirked at the Doctor. "The sonic could've opened this door."

The Doctor very pointedly did not reply.

Jack pointed the blaster at the door and shot of the door handle, letting them into the room.

"Sonic blaster, fifty-first century, weapon factories of Villenguard?"

"You been to the factories?" Jack asked, surprised as the Doctor grabbed his blaster to look at it.

"Once."

"Well, they're gone now. Destroyed. The main reactor went critical, vaporized the lot."

"Well, like I said," the Doctor shoved it back into Jack's hands. "Once. There's a banana grove there now. I like bananas. Bananas are good."

"Nice blast pattern," Rose commented, dearly missing her blaster she'd carried in Pete's World. Sometimes shooting things really was easier.

"Digital," Jack commented proudly. She let out a small laugh, remembering the small exchange.

"Squareness gun. I like it."

He nodded at her with a smirk and she followed after the Doctor into the destroyed room.

"What do you think?" the Doctor wondered, glancing at the broken glass.

"Something got out of there," Jack replied.

"Yeah, and?"

"Something powerful and angry," the younger man continued. Rose leaned against the wall, taking in the scene. She did her best not to think of the scared boy who'd done this but it was hard.

"Powerful and angry," the Doctor repeated.

"That's a scary combination," Rose spoke up, following them into the room. There were drawings and toys scattered around the room, a rocking horse knocked on the side.

"A child?" Jack questioned, horrified. "I suppose this explains 'mummy.'"

"What happened to the child that he could do _this_?" Rose wondered, her mind drifting back to the nanogenes that had healed her.

"Do you know where you are?" the voice of Doctor Constantine asked. Rose and Jack spun around to see the Doctor playing a recording.

"Are you my mummy?" the child replied.

"Are you aware of what's around you? Can you… see?"

"Are you my mummy?"

"What do you want? Do you know…"

"Are you my mummy? I want my mummy! Are you my mummy? Mummy! Mummy. Mummy!"

Rose stiffened, grabbing Jack's arm as the Doctor began to pace. Rose could feel his frustration and horror growing.

"Can you sense it?" he asked, staring at his feet as he walked.

"Sense what?" Jack asked.

"Coming out of the walls, can you feel it?"

Both looked at him, lost.

"Funny little human brains, how do you get around in those things?"

"When he's stressed he likes to insult species," Rose commented quickly before turning back to the Doctor. "Now who's forgetting that I'm not human?"

"Rose, I'm thinking!" he snapped, and she glared at the back of his head.

"Cuts himself shaving, he does half an hour on life-forms, he's clever then."

"There are these children living rough around the bomb sites," the Doctor told them. She could feel him piecing things together, but she also knew he was missing the final piece, the thing he'd only get from Nancy. "They come out during air raids, looking for food. Suppose they were there when this thing, whatever it was, landed."

"It was a med ship, it was harmless."

"You keep saying. Harmless," the Doctor waved off. "Suppose one of them was affected, altered."

"Altered… like the gas mask becoming a part of their face?" Rose asked.

"I'm here," the child's voice called, speaking as it had been for the last couple of minutes.

"Yes," he agreed quickly. "It's afraid, terribly afraid and powerful. Dangerous like you said, Rose. And it doesn't know it yet but it will do. It's got the power of a god and I just sent it to its room."

The tape whirred, finished, as the child spoke again. "I'm here! Can't you see me?"

"Doctor," Rose commented. "The tape!"

"It ran out about thirty seconds ago," the Doctor agreed.

"I'm here now! Can't you see me?"

"I sent it to its room," the Doctor said again. "This is its room."

The three whirled around to find Jamie standing outside of the room.

"Okay, on my signal make for the door," Jack instructed. "Now!" he yelled, pulling a banana into the air. The Doctor turned to the side and used the blaster to make a hole in the door.

"Go, now! Don't drop the banana!"

"Why not?" Jack asked as they ran.

"It's a good source of potassium!"

"Gimme that!" Jack demanded, plucking the blaster from the Doctor's hand and pointing it at the wall again, repairing it. "Digital rewind… nice switch."

The Doctor caught the banana as Jack threw it to him. "It's from the groves of Villenguard, thought it was appropriate."

"There's really a banana grove in the heart of Villenguard and you did that?"

"Bananas are good," was the Doctor's only reply.

A fist slammed into the wall, and the three took off again, racing to the right. As they neared the door, it burst open revealing the patients that had previously been sleeping harmlessly in bed. They twisted back around, running in the direction they came from, but they were once more stopped by patients calling for their mummy.

"It's keeping us here till it can get at us!" the Doctor informed them.

"It's controlling them?" Jack asked, horrified.

"It is them! It's every living thing in this hospital, aside from us."

"Okay, this can function as a sonic blaster, a sonic cannon and it's a triple enfolded sonic disruptor. Doc, what you got?"

"I've got a sonic… nevermind."

"What?"

"It's sonic, okay? Let's leave it at that."

"Disruptor? Canon? What?"

"It's sonic, totally sonic. I am soniced up."

"A sonic _what_?" Jack yelled, frustrated.

"Screwdriver!" the Doctor yelled back. Before Jack could reply, the wall was broken in and Rose did what she'd done before - she reached for the blaster and shot at their feet without warning, sending them flying to the floor below. Once they hit the ground, she twisted around and pointed it back up, replacing the floor she'd just shot away.

"Doctor, you okay?" she asked, looking between her boys.

"Could've used a warning."

"So you're fine," she mumbled, looking over to Jack. "You okay?"

"Great," he replied with a wink, his gaze drifting over to the Doctor. "Who has a sonic screwdriver?"

"I do!"

"Lights," Rose muttered, plucking the sonic from the Doctor's hand. He let her and she turned it to the right setting, turning on the lights with little hassle.

"Mummy!"

"Oh, now you've done it Rose!" the Doctor called, rushing to the door. Jack tried shooting his blaster at it but it didn't work, leaving the Doctor to sonic the door open.

"It's the special features, they really drain the battery."

"And you never bothered to find a renewable power source?" Rose scoffed as they ran.

"I was going to send for another one but _somebody's gotta blow up the factory_!"

"I know," Rose laughed. "First day I met him, he blew up my job. That's practically how he communicates."

"Rose, which setting was the resonator?"

"Ah… 221-B?"

"Right," the Doctor hummed.

"And you use it to turn on lights," Jack commented, apparently back to arguing about the sonic.

"And do… other things," the Doctor trailed off, knowing his argument was weak.

"Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks, 'Ooh, this could be a little more sonic!'"

"You've never been bored?" the Doctor defended. "Never had a long night? Never had a lot of cabinets to put up?"

"Not to the point of making a sonic screwdriver, no."

"Okay, that door should hold for a bit."

"The door? The wall didn't stop it!" Jack replied sharply.

"Well it's got to find us first!" the Doctor pointed out. "Come on, we're not done yet. Assets."

"Well, I've got a banana and in a pinch, you could put up some shelves," Jack raised an eyebrow. Rose let out a short laugh, gaining a small smile from her friend.

"Window?" the Doctor called, not replying to the snark.

"Barred, sheer drop outside. Seven stories."

"And no other exits."

"Well, the assets conversation went in a flash, didn't it?"

"So where'd you pick this one up then?" the Doctor asked. "And do you have to keep him?"

Rose rolled her eyes.

"She was hanging from a barrage balloon, I had an invisible spaceship. I never stood a chance."

"Okay, one. We've got to get out of here. Two, we can't get out of here. Have I missed anything?"

"Yeah," Rose sighed. "Jack just disappeared."

The Doctor groaned, sitting down on the step he was standing on.

"Okay, so where'd he go?"

"Away, probably."

"Nah, he wouldn't do that."

"Rose, Doctor, can you hear me? Back on my ship. Used the emergency teleport, sorry I couldn't take you. It's security keyed to my molecular structure. I'm working on it, hang in there."

"How are you speaking to us?" The Doctor questioned.

"Om-Com. I can call anything with a speaker grill."

"Now there's a coincidence."

"What is?" Jack asked.

"The child can Om-Com, too."

"He can?" Rose asked, eyes wide.

"Anything with a speaker grill," the Doctor nodded. "Even the TARDIS phone."

"But you said that's not a real phone," Rose pointed out.

"Yep, so he can reach us anywhere."

"And I can hear you! Coming to find you! Coming to find you…"

"Doctor, can you hear that?" Jack asked.

"Loud and clear," he replied.

"I'll try to block out the signal. Least I can do."

"Coming to find you, mummy!"

"Remember this one, Rose?"

Moonlight Serenade played over the speaker now, and Rose let out a laugh while the Doctor looked at her curiously. Smiling brightly, she held her hand out to him. "Our song."

"Then maybe you should dance with him."

She was surprised by the way he didn't bother to hide his jealousy.

"He's my friend, Doctor," she told him firmly. "My best friend."

"I don't like him," the Doctor told her, though she knew it was a lie.

"Well, I do. And he's important to me and the timeline. This is before he ever gets to the point in his life where he saves me, Doctor. This is the first time we've met, from his perspective."

"That seems to be happening a lot with you," he muttered, letting her pull him into a swaying motion, holding her closer than he'd normally allow. "River, now Jack. Why didn't you tell me about River before?"

"Because I didn't have a clear understanding of the situation," she admitted. "I wasn't sure if you could know."

"So when did you first meet her?"

"Before the Gelth," she explained. "She appeared in the wardrobe room while I was looking for a dress."

"She appeared on the TARDIS?"

"Because she travels with us," Rose defended. "She's a friend, don't worry about her."

"When did you first meet Jack, then?"

Rose paused. How was she supposed to answer that? "A year or so before I started traveling with you."

"Then how did you know he couldn't meet me until later?"

"He just told me. When I met you, I couldn't mention him until the time was right. And then when I saw him again during the Slitheen invasion, he explained it to me while Owen stitched me up."

"And who are these people, anyway? He had aliens locked up in there."

"I don't know, Doctor," she sighed, looking up at him. "Can't you just trust me when I say I trust him?"

The Doctor didn't reply, tilting her back in time with the music. She let out a laugh as he pulled her back up, tight against his chest. "You were hanging from a barrage balloon."

"Yeah," she sighed. "Not my finest moment. A few minutes after you left me. Thousands of feet above London, middle of a German air raid. Bit scary."

"I've traveled with a lot of people but you are setting new records for jeopardy friendly," he told her, turning her hands over in his own. "Hanging from a rope, thousands of feet above London. Not a cut, not a bruise."

"Oh, yeah," she shook her head. "I was wearing gloves, but Captain Jack's nonogenes did fix my hip. It opened up again, what with all the stretching."

"He's not really a captain, Rose."

"Do you know what I think? I think you're experiencing captain envy."

"If ever he was a captain, he's been defrocked."

"Yeah?" Rose grinned, laughing. "Shame I missed that."

"Actually, I quit. Nobody takes my frock," Jack interrupted. "Most people notice when they've been teleported. You guys are so sweet. Sorry about the delay."

Rose wondered quietly at how she'd missed it once more, though it shouldn't really have been a surprise considering the moment she'd shared with the Doctor.

"Had to take the nav-com offline to override the teleport security."

"You can spend ten minutes overriding your own protocols, maybe you should remember whose ship it is."

"Oh, I do. She was gorgeous. Like I told her - be back in five minutes."

He ducked under the grating while the Doctor looked around with a frown. "This is a Chula ship."

"Yeah, just like that medical transporter. Only this one _is_ dangerous."

The Doctor snapped and nanogenes flocked to his hand, dancing along his skin.

"The nanogenes," Rose commented.

"There are millions of them in here, see? Burned my hand on the console when we landed. All better now. They activate when the bulkhead's sealed. Check you out for damage, fix any physical flaws." He sent them away and looked to Jack. "Take us to the crash site. I need to see your space junk."

"As soon as I get the nav-com back online. Make yourself comfortable. Carry on with whatever it was you were doing."

"We were talking about dancing," the Doctor defended.

"It didn't look like talking," Jack retorted.

"It didn't feel like dancing," Rose agreed, settling down to look at Jack. "So you used to be a time agent and now you're trying to con them?"

"If it makes me sound any better, it's not for the money."

"So, what then?"

"Woke up one morning when I was still working for them, found they'd stolen two years of my memories. I'd like them back."

"Your memories," Rose hummed.

"Two years of my life. No idea what I did. Your friend over there doesn't trust me, and for all I know, he's right not to.

"But you're a good person," she told him firmly, obviously unwilling to consider anything else.

"Okay, we're good to go," Jack told them. "The crash site."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"They've got Algy on duty, must be important."

"We've gotta get past him," the Doctor told them.

"That's my cue," Jack grinned, waving at them. "Don't wait up."

Rose threw her head back, laughing as he jogged over to the man.

"You don't mind that?"

She looked at the Doctor, confused. "Huh?"

"You're from 2005," he explained. "On the brink of gay rights, legal gay marriage and all that but there's lots of homophobia running rampant. You don't seem to care."

"Nah, why should I care? They're not hurting me by being gay. Or… bi, I guess, in Jack's case."

"And you know that because?"

"Because I've seen him flirt with far too many women to even entertain the idea that he's strictly gay. I'd be surprised if humans are even enough for him."

"So many humans, so little time," the Doctor winked.

Their attention turned back to Jack, who was staring in horror as Algy's face morphed horribly into a gas mask. The pair rushed over, the Doctor screaming at soldiers to stay away as they ran.

"The effect's becoming airborne, accelerating," the Doctor explained slowly.

"Nothing's keeping us safe anymore, then," Rose commented as the air raid sirens started up.

"Ah, here they come again," Jack muttered, looking up at the sky.

"Didn't you say a bomb was gonna land here?" Rose asked, looking at her friend. Jack nodded shortly.

"Nevermind about that," the Doctor interrupted. "The contaminant is airborne now, there's hours left."

"Til what?"

"Til nothing. Forever, for the entire human race. And can anyone else hear singing?"

"When the wind blows, the cradle will rock. When the bow breaks, the cradle will fall. Down will come baby, cradle and all."

The Doctor waved for her to keep singing as he soniced the handcuffs, releasing her. The group of four rushed outside, and the Doctor and Jack pulled the tarp off of the Chula ambulance.

"You see?" Jack waved at it. "Just an ambulance."

"That's an ambulance?" Nancy asked.

"It's alien, from another world," Rose explained, remembering the way the girl had easily believed her the last time.

"They've been trying to get in," Jack pointed out, looking at the marks near the door of the ship.

"Of course they have. They think they've got their hands on Hitler's latest secret weapon. What are you doing?"

"The sooner you see this thing's empty, the sooner you'll know I had nothing to do with it." The ship sparked, startling the entire group, and an alarm sounded loudly. "Didn't happen last time."

"It hadn't crashed last time. There'll be emergency protocols."

"Doctor, what is that?" Rose asked, pointing at a flashing light on a panel. A banging on nearby gates began and she turned on her heel. "Doctor!"

"Captain, secure those gates," the Doctor directed.

"Why?"

"Just do it!" He looked over to Nancy with a frown. "Nancy, how did you get in here?"

"I cut the wire."

"Show Rose," he told her, tossing over the sonic again. "You remember?"

"2,428-D," she nodded, running off after Nancy. She threw herself down onto her knees, getting straight to work with Nancy holding the wires to help her.

"Who are you? Who are any of you?"

"We're from the future, Nancy," she told her. "And don't tell me there won't be one because there is. Don't tell the Doctor I told you this, but we _win_ , Nancy. We win. I was born in this city. I'm from London in your future."

"We win."

"Come on," Rose smiled, stitching the last piece of fence back together.

"It's empty," Jack was saying as they came back over. "Look at it."

"What do you expect in a Chula medical transporter?" the Doctor wondered. "Bandages? Cough drops? Rose?"

"Nanogenes," she answered with a nod. "His ship is a Chula ship and it healed me then…"

"Exactly. It wasn't empty, captain. There were enough nanogenes in there to rebuild a species."

"Oh, god."

"Getting it now, are we? When the ship crashes, the nanogenes escape. Billions upon billions of them. Ready to fix all the cuts and bruises in the whole world. But what they find first is a dead child. Probably killed earlier that night. And wearing a gas mask."

"How can they bring him back to life?" Rose asked.

"What's life? Life's easy. A quirk of matter. Nature's way of keeping meat fresh. Nothing to a nanogene. One problem though- these nanogenes, they're not like the ones on your ship, captain. This lot have never seen a human being before. Don't know what a human being's supposed to look like. All they've got to go on is one little body, and there's not a lot left. But they carry right on. They do what they're programmed to do, they patch it up. Can't tell what's gas mask and what's skull, but they do their best. And then off they fly, off they go, work to be done. Cause you see, now they think they know what people should look like, and it's time to fix all the rest. And they won't ever stop. They won't ever, ever stop. The entire human race is gonna be torn down and rebuilt in the form of one terrified child looking for its mother and nothing in the world can stop it!"

"I didn't know!" Jack defended, though his face certainly showed the horror they all felt.

"Rose!" Nancy called.

Rose glanced up and then knelt next to the Doctor, the same light from before still flashing. "It's bringing the gas mask people here, isn't it?"

"The ship thinks it's under attack. It's calling up the troops. Standard protocol… all this weapons tech in the hands of a hysterical four year old looking for his mummy and now there's an army of them."

"Why don't they attack?" Jack asked, looking around.

"Good little soldiers, waiting for their commander," the Doctor answered simply.

"The child?"

"Jamie," Nancy corrected.

"What?"

"Not the child," she told him hotly. "Jamie."

"How long until the bomb?" Rose asked, glancing between her boys.

"Any second," Jack told her.

"What's the matter, captain? Bit too close to the volcano for you?" the Doctor shot at him, walking past.

"He's just a little boy," Nancy muttered, her voice thick with emotion.

"I know."

"He's just a little boy who wants his mummy," she told them, clearly upset.

"I know," the Doctor repeated. "There isn't a little boy born who wouldn't tear the world apart to save his mummy. And this little boy can."

"It's my fault," Nancy told them.

"No," the Doctor frowned down at her.

"It is, it's all my fault."

"How can it be your…" he was cut off by the gas mask people all crying out for their mummy, and suddenly he understood as he watched her cry. "Nancy, what age are you? 20? 21? Older than you look, yes?"

"Doctor, that bomb," Jack interrupted. "We've got seconds."

"So it's volcano day," the Doctor said without looking back at the man. "Do what you've got to do." He heard the sound of the teleport and felt Rose's frustration but pressed on. "How old were you five years ago? Fifteen? Sixteen? Old enough to give birth, anyway. He's not your brother, is he? A teenage single mother in 1941. So you hid. You lied. You even lied to him."

The gate burst open, revealing Jamie standing in front of the faceless people, all of them calling for their mummy still. "Are you my mummy?"

"He's gonna keep asking, Nancy," he told her. "He's never gonna stop. Tell him. Nancy, the future of the human race is in your hands. Trust me and tell him."

"Are you my mummy? Are you my mummy? Are you my mummy?"

"Yes," she breathed. "Yes, I am your mummy."

"Mummy?"

"I'm here!"

"Are you my mummy?"

She knelt down, looking at the small boy in front of her. "I'm here."

"Are you my mummy?"

"Yes."

"Are you my mummy?"

"He doesn't understand," the Doctor realized. "There's not enough of him left."

"I am your mummy. I will always be your mummy. I'm so sorry," she shook her head, pulling Jamie into her arms. Nanogenes wrapped around them, recognizing her as his mother finally. "I'm so, so sorry."

"You clever little nanogenes, figure it out!" the Doctor pleaded. "The mother, she's the mother! It's got to be enough information. Figure it out."

"What's it doing? It can tell she's his mother?" Rose wondered. He nodded, pointing.

"Recognizing the same DNA."

Jamie pulled back abruptly, letting Nancy fall the short way to the ground. Rose and the Doctor ran over, and the Doctor stared. "Oh, come on. Gimme a day like this. Gimme this one!"

He reached down and carefully pulled the gas mask off of Jamie's head, letting out a shout of joy at the sight of the perfectly healed and completely human boy. "Welcome back! Twenty years to pop music, you're gonna love it!"

"What happened?" Nancy asked, grinning brightly.

"The nanogenes recognized the superior information. The parent DNA. They didn't change you because you changed them. Mother knows best!"

"Jamie…"

"Doctor, that bomb!"

"Taken care of it," he assured her.

"How?"

"Psychology."

Sure enough, they watched the bomb plummet toward the ground, only to stop a few feet away from the Chula ambulance.

"Doctor!" Jack called.

"Good lad," he waved back.

"The bomb's already commenced detonation. I've put it in a stasis, but it won't last long."

"Change of plan," the Doctor told him. "Don't need the bomb. Can you get rid of it, safely as you can?"

"Rose!"

She grinned up at him. "Yeah?"

"I'll be seeing you," he promised. She nodded firmly as he flew off.

Nanogenes surrounded the Doctor as he changed them and she bounced over. "What's happening?"

"Software patch," he explained. "Gonna email the upgrade. You want moves, Rose? I've got moves." He shoved his arms forward, sending the nanogenes flying to the nearby people and changing them all back to normal. "Everybody lives, Rose! Just this once! Everybody lives!"

Rose stood by Nancy while the Doctor greeted Doctor Constantine once more. Soon he ran back over, jumping up on the ambulance. "Right, you lot! Lots to do, beat the Germans, save the world! Don't forget the welfare state!" He leaned down so only Rose could hear him now, a smile gracing his lips. "Setting this to self-destruct soon as everybody's clear. History says there's an explosion here, who am I to argue with history?"

"Usually, the first in line."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"The nanogenes will clean up the mess and switch themselves off, cause I just told them to. Nancy and Jamie will go to Doctor Constantine for help, ditto. All in all, all things considered. Fantastic!"

"Beaming away like you're Father Christmas," she joked, smiling brightly back as he danced around the console. She followed, helping to put them into the vortex.

"Who says I'm not? Red bicycle when you were 12."

She glanced around to look at him. "You do know that I know how time travel works, right?"

He winked at her instead of replying to that remark. "Everybody lives, Rose! Everybody lives! I need more days like this."

"Doctor."

"Go on, ask me anything. I'm on fire!"

"Jack can't get rid of that bomb, can he?"

"He might do."

"But he can't," she argued. "And today, everybody lives."

The Doctor held her gaze for a long second. "Right. Everybody lives."

It was easy to find Jack's ship, and only a little bit harder to dock the TARDIS onto his small ship. Rose started the music, grinning as the Doctor pulled her into his arms and the pair began dancing, albeit badly. When Jack finally noticed them, Rose let out a laugh.

"Hurry up! And close the door behind you!"

He did as she said, running through his ship and into theirs, looking wildly around at the alien tech he'd only ever dreamed of seeing. As they neared the console, the Doctor tipped her back and she pulled at a lever, starting up the ship and sending them flying off somewhere.

"Rose, where did you send us?" the Doctor paused. "I didn't have any coordinates in."

"Ah, well, you see-,"

"You didn't."

"She called me! Before River. Relax, Doctor, you don't even have to leave the TARDIS."

"And where are we going?" Jack wondered as the Doctor let go of Rose. The girl spun right into Jack's arms with a sheepish grin, though it was the Doctor that answered him.

"We're going to see her mother."

OoOoOoOoOo


	16. Young And Menace

**Hey! So this starts off another part of the story, so… forgive me for** _ **that**_ **.**

 **Also, this chapter was meant to be pretty chill… but then, as always, I had a bad idea. So I did that instead. Some calmer chapters with some chill adventures should be coming next. Hopefully.**

 **As I did before, this chapter will be posted with the next one. This has some kinda triggering things in it, so if anyone can't handle that, shoot me a message and I'll give you the general explanation without the triggers.**

 **TRIGGER WARNINGS** **: kidnapping, murder, hints of sexual assault, possessive speech (I'm not really sure how to label this one honestly.) I think that's generally it but if I've missed anything,** _ **please tell me**_ **. I'll add it.**

 **Also, keep in mind that if there's anything you'd like to see in this fic, you can shoot me a message and if I think it's plausible or works with the larger story I'll be making, I'll do my best to add it!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Edit: someone pointed out that London and Cardiff are not, you know, neighbors. I actually realized that when I read over it again, but…. I can't really fix it right now. For the sake of the story we can just pretend she either didn't live in London or the world magically changed and they are within walking distance. Sorry for the mistake! I blame my dumb American brain.**

 **Young And Menace**

"Ah, Rose," Jack grabbed her arm as she headed for the door. "Might not wanna do that."

"You boys don't have to leave the TARDIS, but I'm going out there," she argued.

"No, I'm all for meeting your mum," Jack shook his head. "It's just that you've still got blood on your shirt."

She swore quietly, glancing down at it. "Right. Okay, I'm gonna go change. Don't you dare send us away."

"Wouldn't dream of it," the Doctor replied lowly. She raised an eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes. "Promise."

Satisfied that he was telling the truth, she raced from the room, leaving the two men alone. In her room, she was surprised to find River lying back on her bed, a golden glow fading from her with some blood dripping from her leg.

"River!" she yelled, rushing over. "Shit, River, wake up!" She looked down at the bleeding leg and back at the door. Opening it again, she leaned out. "Doctor! Jack!"

She moved back to her friend and jumped on the bed with her, shoving her pant leg up to reveal a nasty, jagged cut digging deep into the leg, tearing it apart. The Doctor and Jack ran into the room quickly, and they both stopped short at the sight.

"It's her leg," she told them in a rush. "We need to get her to the med bay."

Jack nodded and plucked her off the bed, rushing out into the hall, following the Doctor's instruction until the trio were in the large, white room. Jack settled River down on an examination table while the Doctor retrieved the dermal regenerator and Rose scanned her leg with the sonic.

"There's an infection," she muttered. "I think that's why she's passed out. This doesn't seem to be a new injury."

The Doctor grimaced. "Then we need to get her in a curing bath."

"Curing bath?" Rose asked, watching as he moved across the room to a large object that looked sort of like a sensory deprivation tank. He pressed a few buttons, and she could hear water rushing into the thing.

"Yeah, it's from Mundoan. For larger injuries, luckily of which you've had none so far," he told her, raising an eyebrow. "Jack put her in here."

"Yes sir," Jack agreed, carefully picking River up and taking her over to the large tank. Very slowly, he settled her in there.

As the Doctor closed the door, Rose let out a scream and gripped her head, violent sharp stabbing pains rushing through her that dropped her to the ground.

"Doctor!" she screamed, squeezing her eyes closed.

"Rose," he dropped down next to her, touching her head. He felt the pain as well, though it was distant. "Jack, I need a shot of lorazepam."

"Where would that be?"

"Behind you, the counter!"

Jack grabbed it and brought it over quickly, and the Doctor gave it to Rose, emptying the entire syringe into her arm. Slowly, she relaxed and fell asleep in his arms, though she was still twitching every once in a while. He picked her up and put her on the table River had just been on, frowning down at her.

"Doctor, what was that?"

He didn't answer, closing his eyes to focus on his bond with Rose. As he'd feared, he felt someone else inside his head, stronger than what he had with Rose. He let out a curse and looked back at Jack. "There's someone else on the TARDIS. We have to find her."

"Someone else like River here?"

"No, but I'd imagine they came together," the Doctor shook his head, nervous. "We need to go find her."

"Her?"

He made a face at Jack, not feeling particularly patient. "Rose and I have a preliminary bond. The reason she's like this is because there's a Rose somewhere on the TARDIS that has either a practice or permanent bond with me. That's stronger than the one I have with this Rose, so it's trying to drown her out."

"Okay," Jack said slowly. "I'll go look for her then."

"She might not look like herself," the Doctor warned him. "Be careful."

"Right. And what will you do?"

"Try and wake River so she can give us some clue to how this happened," he sighed. "She should be fine now, the tank works fast."

Jack nodded shortly and ran from the room, taking a left and rushing down the hall. Rose's door was still open and he took a quick look inside before moving on, checking every door that would open for him.

While he did that, the Doctor carefully removed River from the tank and placed her on a table. As he'd expected, it didn't take long to wake the woman, the tank having acted as a sort of energy supplement as well as healing her.

"River," he said gently, frowning at her.

"Doctor," her eyes widened. "Oh, you're not the right Doctor."

"Well, what Doctor should I be?" he asked, irritated.

"Ah," she winced, sitting up. "Not this one. What happened?"

"Rose found you in her bed, injured."

"No, that doesn't make sense," she disagreed. "We were stuck in- ah. Ah, Doctor, where did she go?"

"A friend is looking for her right now," he told her. "River, what happened?"

"Spoilers," she grimaced, standing up. The Doctor let her, following her out of the med bay.

"Rose shouldn't be here," he warned her.

"Yes, I know. This wasn't exactly our choice, Doctor."

"Are you in danger?"

"Rose is," River nodded. Frowning heavily, the Doctor turned around and made his way to the console room with River on his heels. "Doctor, don't!"

"If she's in danger, no one else is getting on my ship," he growled, pressing a few buttons to lock down the TARDIS.

"Doctor!"

"You have just made a very big mistake."

The Doctor turned around at the sound of the new voice, his eyes settling on a man, somewhat shorter than him with scruffy hair, a big chin, and sharp green eyes. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm you, Doctor, and you've just doomed her."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Jack turned the corner to find himself in yet another kitchen. He threw his hands up and shook his head. What did they need six kitchens for? He'd been walking for nearly ten minutes and was beginning to wonder how big the ship really was. He'd heard rumors about time lord technology, but up until a few hours ago, he'd thought they were myths.

As he turned to leave the room, his eye caught on the floor by the table, blinking at the sight of a hand splayed out. He moved over to stare down at a woman passed out on the floor. She had loose, curly dirty brown hair and a few scars littered over her arms. She didn't appear injured but to be safe, he picked her up and rushed through the halls until, five minutes later, he reached the med bay and set her down next to Rose.

With that done, he ran out to find the console room had moved. It took him another ten minutes to find it again, confused the entire time he was walking. When he walked in, the Doctor stood with River, yelling at a man he didn't recognize.

"-you'd just _tell me what's happening_ -,"

"You know we can't!" the younger man yelled back, throwing his hands up in frustration. "River, tell him!"

"Spoilers, Doctor," the woman grit out. Jack moved farther into the room, and her gaze turned to him. "Oh. Jack."

The Doctor followed her and frowned heavily upon seeing him. "Did you find her?"

"Yeah, she was unconscious. I put her with Rose," he informed him, his eyes slipping to the floppy-haired man. "Who is this?"

"The Doctor," the Doctor said, waving him off while the other man - the Doctor - shrugged at him.

"Timey-wimey," he told him as if it was an explanation. "It should be safe to wake your Rose up now that I'm here, Doctor."

The Doctor - the leather coat Doctor - grumbled and stomped from the console room and into the hallway, only to turn back and frown at Jack. "Where was the med bay when you left it?"

"About ten minutes away from here," he answered. "Why is that? Rooms just move in here?"

Ignoring him, the Doctor, both of them, and River took off, running through the TARDIS. Jack followed them quickly, more confused than ever. He led them through the halls at the Doctor's request until they came upon the spot where the room had been before, only to find it had moved again.

"You're sure it was here?" the floppy-haired Doctor asked, glaring him down.

"Certain," he nodded firmly.

"Tell me exactly what happened," River demanded, touching his arm.

"I found that woman, Rose I guess, in the kitchen. She was unconscious, so I brought her to the med bay and set her down next to our Rose and left to find the Doctor, but it was another ten-minute walk to find you guys."

River exchanged a glance with the unfamiliar Doctor, looking crushed. "He's got her. That has to be it."

"The TARDIS would protect her," the Doctor denied, albeit weakly.

"Not for long," River argued. "It's been twenty minutes since Jack saw her - he has her."

"Who the hell are we talking about?" Jack asked, getting frustrated. The two looked at him darkly.

"The Planner."

"And who is that?" the Doctor asked, frowning heavily. His future self looked back at him, pain in his eyes.

"Jimmy Stone."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose felt panic rise in her chest as the familiar feeling of a sedative washed over her. The same confused drowsiness she felt constantly before was overwhelming, and she panicked at the thought that maybe she was back there, back with Jimmy.

"Hey, it's okay."

Her eyes shot open and she moved back, trying to get away from the unfamiliar voice, only to fall off of whatever she'd been lying on.

"Woah," the woman said, rounding the table in the med bay. She kneeled down, putting her hands out in front of her to show that she wasn't going to hurt her. "It's okay, Rose."

"Who…?"

"I'm you," she laughed. "It's weird, I know."

Rose looked at the woman, taking in the darker hair and bright blue eyes. "What happened?"

"We're in the TARDIS," she explained, waving her hand. "Obviously. Your TARDIS. Did the Doctor give you a sedative?"

"I… think so," she frowned, trying to remember. "We were putting River in the curing bath and then there was this pain…"

"You found River?" Older Rose asked, eyes widening. "Is she okay?"

"The Doctor said the bath would help her a lot, so I'd say yes," she nodded. "Let's go get her out."

The older Rose shook her head. "I checked the entire room just to make sure - no one else is in here. He must've removed her."

"What's going on?"

The older Rose frowned, debating on what to tell her. "Look, there's some parts of this that, after it's over, time won't let you remember until you're me. That's the only reason I'm going to tell you this, okay?"

"Okay…"

"Jimmy. He's a time lord called the Planner. He found me and followed us here, hitched a ride actually. I know my Doctor will find us here, but I don't know if he can get to us before Jimmy does."

"Jimmy… is a time lord?"

"Yes."

"So when we were together, that was…?"

"Too much to explain right now. Just know that there is a high chance that he'll get to us, but I promise you that my Doctor can find us, he'll save us. They both will."

"How did this… I don't understand," Rose said, her breathing getting shallow as the panic overwhelmed her.

"It'll be okay," the older Rose promised with a faint smile, the best she could muster. "We'll be okay."

"You think so?"

The two women looked at the door to find a thin man with long, black hair grinning darkly at them. The older Rose placed herself firmly in front of her younger self, and only Rose could see her shaking ever so slightly.

"Don't touch her. This is between us now."

"But she is you," he shook his head at her. "There's no point trying to protect her, love."

Both the older and younger Rose cringed at the term of endearment - it was one only he had ever used for her, and she'd always associated it with the worst days with him.

He moved forward, and the older Rose lifted her hand, a golden glow consuming it. "Don't you dare."

"You burnt yourself out taking us here," he laughed. "You do that, you very well might kill yourself. I'd be careful, Rose."

"What is he talking about?" Rose asked, frowning at her older self. The older woman glared at the man as she lowered her hand, the golden light disappearing.

"Good girl. Now, we should get going. We haven't got much time."

The girl exchanged a look, but the older Rose just shook her head quietly. There was no point trying to fight - he was still too strong for them, even with two of them. "Where are we going?"

Jimmy looked down at Rose, smirking. "Where we always go, love. Our home."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Doctor paced back and forth, his fingers curled in his hair in panic. He was getting nothing from their bond, and neither was his younger self, not that he'd expected him to. Their bond was too weak, too new to have any real strength to it.

"Jack!" River gasped, moving over to him. "You might know. She told you about him. Where would he take her?"

Jack's eyes widened in horror. "I don't know. She hasn't told me anything yet."

The Doctors exchanged a glance, and the elder Doctor walked out of the TARDIS, the lockdown having been lifted as soon as the younger Doctor had understood the situation. He didn't bother checking if they were following, looking around to see where they were exactly.

"We're right in front of- who parked?"

"Rose did."

"Why'd she drop us here?" he asked, confused. He didn't stop walking, making his way down to the small, fake shop that was a front for Torchwood.

"I don't know, probably because this was the last place I set the TARDIS down?"

"Doctor!" Ianto greeted in surprise as he walked through the door. The man's eyes trailed behind him and he frowned deeply. "Jack?"

"Not your Jack, Ianto," the elder Doctor promised. "But I do need to see him. It's extremely important."

"He's inside, it's been a slow week. Is there anything I can help with?"

"I don't know," the Doctor sighed, walking through the door once Ianto opened it. Jack, the Doctor, and River all followed along with Ianto. "I'll let you know."

"Where are we?" Jack asked, looking around in surprise.

"The less you know, the better," River explained. "Not good to know too much of your own future."

Both Doctors let River stay back with the younger Jack and marched into the elder Jack's office, not bothering to say hello.

"Jimmy has Rose," the younger Doctor declared. Jack looked up, alarmed.

"What happened?"

" _The Planner_ has both my Rose and his Rose," the elder Doctor clarified. "He took them from the TARDIS. He's got to be somewhere in the city, in this time. Where?"

Jack frowned deeply. "I've been trying to track him since he got out. I can only go off of what Rose told me about him. He doesn't have any family or friends to speak of. His old apartment that he stayed in with Rose is still being paid for but not lived in. I'd say that's our best bet."

"You have your vortex manipulator?"

"I do."

"River has hers," the elder Doctor nodded. "She'll come, too. Your younger self will have to stay back, we can't put him in danger."

Jack shook his head. "I don't care. Let's go get our girl."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The dark apartment was dusty but otherwise clean - the way it looked when she'd been there last, down to the last detail. There were still ropes tied to the bedpost, and she could even spot her blue tube top lying partially under the bed, having been torn off and forgotten.

"There's two of you now," he chuckled softly. "The possibilities are endless, Rose. Both of you, go ahead and sit on the bed."

They did as he said, and naively thought that maybe, that would be the end of it. They were quickly proven wrong as he told them sharply to get undressed, at least until they were left in their underwear. Feeling oddly self-conscious, both girls did as he said.

"I don't understand why you can't just let me go," the younger Rose said, panic rising in her as she sat mostly naked in the same place she'd lived for three years. "Why can't you just let me live my life?"

"Because you're _mine_ ," he yelled, his temper picking up suddenly, the same way it used to when she said something he didn't like. "You don't get to live without me. You can be mine or you can die."

Neither of them spoke again after that. The trauma they both felt was too large to try and argue.

Jimmy paced over with another two ropes and stood on the younger Rose's side, grabbing her arm roughly to tie her up. She let out a whimper, less out of pain and more out of fear. "You know, Rose, I only need you. If I keep you, this older version… she doesn't have to exist anymore. She won't. You'll be all mine. It'll be just the two of us again. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"I'd rather die," she spat. She barely managed to close her eyes before his hand connected with her face, the force sending her nearly off the bed. Her head connected hard with the wood headboard, and she bit her lip to keep from making noise.

"Leave her alone," the older Rose snapped. "You're mad at me - you followed me here."

"Yes, I _am_. And you know what, Rose? You're going to get what you always wanted. You did want to die, right?" he moved to the other side of the bed, his fingers trailing lightly over the old scars - scars that, apparently, didn't go away even with regeneration. "And you couldn't do it, so I'll just have to do it for you."

"Don't touch me," she grit out, tensing as his breath hit her neck when he leaned in close. "Get away from me!"

"I'd love to give you a drawn-out death, but unfortunately, we definitely do not have that much time, so…"

The younger Rose watched, terrified, as Jimmy raised a knife - one that she didn't even know he was holding - and pushed it deep into her older self's chest. The older Rose gasped, her eyes widening as she looked up at Jimmy. He twisted the knife back and forth until finally, she slipped into unconsciousness. Rose could still see her breathing, but it was getting weaker, and she was genuinely worried that her older self wouldn't have time to regenerate.

She was pulled from her thoughts by Jimmy pulling the knife from her chest and now using it to cut the younger Rose's bra off. She let out a whimper, unable to hold it back. Blood dripped on her, and she shivered at the feeling.

"Are you scared, Rose?" he asked softly, grabbing at her aggressively. "You look scared… but not scared enough."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

As the group of men left the office to tell Jack and River what was happening, the elder Doctor fell to the floor, letting out a terrible cry. His hand flew to his chest, and he pushed his clothes aside, pulling his shirt up to look at it. It was perfectly normal, and his stomach dropped.

"No."

"Doctor?" River gasped, grabbing his arm. "Doctor, what is it?"

"Rose-,"

" _No_ ," she hissed. "Please, tell me she's okay. Doctor!"

He closed his eyes tightly, unable to look at Rose's friend - their friend - and tell her that Jimmy had killed her.

"I don't understand," the younger Jack looked between them. "What's happened?"

"Rose," River managed, her voice soft. "Our Rose, the older Rose. He… killed her."

"What?" Jack asked, horrified. "How can you know?"

"Like I said," the younger Doctor told him quietly. "We have a bond. Now that both of them are here, they can only feel each other and our Rose and I can only feel each other. He felt her… die."

"Then we need to get to your Rose before he kills her, too," the older Jack spoke up, tossing an alien gun to his younger self. "And we'll need everyone we can get."

"He won't kill her," the elder Doctor muttered. "He's… saving her. He just didn't need…"

"It's okay," River tried. "She might regenerate."

"If she does, he'll just kill her again," he shot back.

"Doctor," the younger Doctor said sharply. "If we don't go save my Rose, you'll never even meet yours."

The older man looked between them all and nodded slowly. "Right. Let's go."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The only way Rose could count the time was the clock peeking from the kitchen, which she could barely see with the bedroom door cracked open. She'd been there for two and a half hours, and she had already been drugged- not a sedative like usual but rather the other drug he used to give her, the one that made her dazed and unable to comprehend much but still able to show off at gigs.

She wondered vaguely why her new time lady DNA didn't protect her from the drugs, but the thought floated away as he approached her again. He'd already had his fun, and she'd truly expected him to knock her out afterwards, but he didn't. Instead, he'd wait until she almost fell asleep, relaxed from the drugs, and then he'd hurt her in varying ways.

Currently, he was holding a knife to her stomach, gently tracing his name - not cutting her deep, just showing that he _could_. Small beads of blood popped up periodically, and the sight made her sick. The entire situation felt so familiar that she wanted to throw up.

The elder Rose gasped, waking up. She'd regenerated nearly five minutes after being stabbed, but her body was still healing. The now black haired girl glanced around in panic, looking from the room to Rose and Jimmy, and finally to her arms, which were still tied above her head.

Smiling at the older girl, Jimmy stood and made his way back over to her. "How many of these do you have left, hm? I can just keep going until you're dead, love."

And with that, he plunged the knife right back into her stomach.

Rose felt a tear fall at the sight of her older self dying all over again. A large part of her very much wished she could switch places with her. At least her older self could be dead and not endure the torture she was being put through.

Jimmy pushed her hair from her face, gathering it up into a bunch in his hands. "I always told you, I hate your hair long, love." He pulled the knife across her hair, cutting off the length she'd gained once she'd left him, something that had helped her feel separate from the little abused girl she'd been.

He got back on the bed, straddling her again, sitting up straight and looking down at her. "I don't understand, Rose. You don't want me to kill you, but you want to die right now, don't you? That night, I tried to kill you. But now you want me to?"

"I didn't want you to then because I was happy," she whispered. "I was with the Doctor."

"The Doctor," he spat, his eyes darkening. "The Doctor can't protect you, Rose. If he could, you wouldn't be here now."

"I'm not with the Doctor because I want him to protect me," she argued, mustering up as much energy as she could. "That's why I was with Mickey, and it was miserable. I'm with the Doctor because I love him."

He slapped her again, this time much harder. "You'll love _me_!"

"I've never loved you."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The group of five used the TARDIS instead of the vortex manipulators as planned with the concern for both Rose's health. They materialized two blocks from the building, and the Doctor doubled over once more.

"We have to hurry," he groaned, looking devastated. The group did as he said and rushed on, Jack helping the Doctor as they moved. It took them nearly fifteen minutes to find the building, get up all the stairs and then finally find the apartment, as it was hidden by a perception filter.

River took it upon herself to kick down the door, revealing a dark but empty living room. The group rushed in, and the younger Doctor took lead, remembering the layout of the place from Rose's memories. He turned to the left and saw the door, slamming it open. His heart skipped a few beats and his respiratory bypass kicked in at the sight before him.

Jimmy stood above Rose's older self and drove a knife into her chest. He could hear the older Doctor cry out in pain in the other room. Leaving the knife in, Jimmy turned around to grin at the Doctor.

"Thank you, Doctor, for this lovely opportunity. It was wonderful to be… reacquainted with our Rose. I certainly think she enjoyed it."

The Doctor moved to run at him, but before he could get to the man, he pressed a button on what seemed to be a vortex manipulator and disappeared.

Ignoring his frustration at not having gotten the man, the Doctor rushed over to the elder Rose and checked her pulse. It was weak, and he was certain she'd regenerate again. It was unfortunate, but she'd live, so he rushed to the other side of the bed to check on his Rose. She was tied up much too tight, and naked, and very much unconscious. He felt for her pulse, though he knew she was alive, and breathed out in relief when he felt it. It was weaker than usual, and when he checked her pupils, he realized she'd been drugged.

"Doctor," River said softly. He didn't look up. She stepped forward and put a hand on his arm. "Let me. I'll get her dressed and check her over in the TARDIS."

"I can do that," he argued.

"I'm dressing her," she said firmly, leaving no room for argument. He nodded slowly and stepped out of the room, looking at both Jacks and his future self.

"He, ah…" he rubbed his face. "They're not doing too good. Rose is going to regenerate again. My Rose is… I don't know. River's… taking care of her." His older self stood and brushed past him, making his way into the room, likely to be with his Rose.

"Is she hurt?" the older Jack asked, tense with worry. "Doctor, is this… is this my fault?"

The Doctor frowned at the other man. "She is, and I think it is."

"Wait, this is- this is the guy from her past? The one that she said was coming after her?" the younger Jack asked, eyes wide as he looked between his older self and the Doctor.

"'The guy' from her past is her abusive ex-boyfriend," the Doctor snapped. "When did she tell you about him?"

"When we were on my ship," he explained slowly. "She was having a hard time looking at me."

The older Jack looked crushed, and the Doctor glared between the two. "Yeah, and it's because of your inability to take care of her that she's like this right now."

"Doctor!" River snapped. "It is not. Take your anger out on something else. This isn't Jack's fault."

He barely listened to her, the sight of a fully clothed but still unconscious and sickly looking Rose taking his full attention. "We need to get them back to the TARDIS."

"Rose needs to go in the zero room," the older Doctor told them. "She's regenerated too much in such a short period of time, she's going to get regeneration poisoning."

"We can use our vortex manipulators-,"

"No, love, that'd hurt them both too much," River disagreed. "I'll take the Doctor to the TARDIS and he can materialize in the living room."

The Doctors exchanged a look and, reluctantly, the younger Doctor nodded shortly, holding his hand out to River. She reprogrammed it quickly and grabbed onto him, sending them away and leaving everyone else alone.

"You'd better get in here," the Doctor warned both Jacks without looking up from his Rose. "That's a small room."

They did as he said, and the younger Jack moved to his Rose's side, while the elder just stood at the end of the bed, looking at them both in horror.

"What did he do to her? She just looks… not okay," Jack muttered, looking to the Doctor. The man's eyes were a sort of darkness he'd never seen before, one that he'd eventually come to recognize as the Oncoming Storm.

"Terrible things. Her skin is pale because he drugged her, probably a lot," the Doctor told him. "It's what he always does."

"Has he done this before while she's been with you?" Jack asked, shocked. The Doctor didn't answer him this time, his eyes on his Rose as her skin lit up golden. He backed up, giving her space as her entire body exploded with pure golden energy. When it faded, she had long, curly red hair and pale skin, her cheeks littered with freckles.

The Doctor looked incredibly sad all while smiling down at the woman. She jolted awake, her deep brown eyes wild with fear, and he grabbed her cheeks lightly, looking into them. "It's me, hey, it's me. I'm here."

She gave a choked cry of relief, pushing herself further into his arms. "Doctor."

"I know, Arkytior," he whispered, holding her close. "He's gone."

Her head lifted slightly, and she glanced to her left to look at her younger self. "Oh my god," she gasped. "I tried, I tried but he didn't need me, Doctor."

"I know you did," he nodded. "Too brave for your own good." The sound of the TARDIS sounded from the living room, and the Doctor smiled down at his Rose. "We're gonna go home, get you in the zero room."

"What about our TARDIS?" she asked with a frown. "We had to leave, that's why we ended up in that time loop to begin with. Is she back to normal, or is she still all… human?"

The Doctor nodded. "Everything's okay. She called Rory the pretty one, did you know?"

Rose gave a weak laugh. "Maybe she doesn't like Scottish people."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The younger Doctor carried Rose into the med bay, refusing to let anyone else touch her while everyone else stayed back in the console room as the older Doctor called his TARDIS to them, directing Amy over a video call on what to do on their side. Finally, the TARDIS arrived right next to the younger Doctor's TARDIS, and the older team - including Jack - made their way into their TARDIS without so much as a goodbye, considering they all had more important things to attend to.

Jack was left in the console room, feeling helpless as the Doctor looked after Rose. Trying to find something to do, he wandered down the halls of the extremely large ship again, glancing in some doors occasionally. When he came upon Rose's room, his eyes settled on the blood-stained sheets on the bed and got to work changing them. He found a set of sheets just sitting on the chair near the bed and, confused, he replaced them. Unsure what to do with the old ones, he set them in the hamper by the closet and watched as they were dropped down to… somewhere.

Satisfied he'd done _something_ useful, Jack wandered back down the hall to the med bay, glancing in to find the Doctor sitting at a computer with a frown while Rose slept quietly on the table. "How is she?"

"Fine now, physically. A few injuries that were generally easy to heal."

"And Jimmy?"

The Doctor turned to him, shaking his head slowly. "It's not my place to tell you."

"Is she safe? I mean, if he found her on the TARDIS then he can find her again, can't he?"

"She's safe. I mean, mostly. I- I don't know," the man snapped. "Did you need something or are you just here to distract me?"

Jack put his hands up. "I'm worried about her too, Doc. I want to help, however I can."

The Doctor shook his head, calming down slightly. "There's not much more we can do for her right now. She's healed physically, but when she wakes up, there's no doubt that her PTSD will be worse than ever, and we just… have to be there. But most importantly, Jack, you cannot ask her about him. Don't force that. I mean it."

"I won't."

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	17. Mirror House

**Hey! So, this one is special to me. Probably not well done, but I'm just testing the waters in case I want to start a different fic like this chapter.**

 **This chapter will be a crossover between Doctor Who and The Flash. In case you don't like or know The Flash, I'll add a description of the chapter at the end with just the important parts.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Edit: this idea came to me in a flurry of sickness, please be kind. I do understand it isn't the best chapter I've written.**

 **Mirror House**

"It's beautiful."

The Doctor grinned at Rose, the soft smile on her face a victory for all of them. "It's night for thirty-six hours. Day only lasts for about twenty-five minutes, but it's the most beautiful time."

"So we're only staying for twenty-five minutes?" she asked, laughing. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Of course not. We can stay as long as you like."

"About that," Jack called from the TARDIS, interrupting them. "There's an alarm going off."

The Doctor gave Rose a frustrated look as he stood, making his way back to the TARDIS with her on his heels, actually excited for the adventure. He'd refused to go anywhere dangerous since Jimmy, and it was driving her crazy. She just wanted to get into some trouble and _run_.

"What… what is that?" the Doctor asked as he entered the TARDIS. "I've never heard this one before."

Rose rolled her eyes and moved around him to the other side of the console, pressing a few buttons. The Doctor threw her the screen, and she grabbed it, looking at the readings. The Doctor and Jack came to either side of her while she frowned.

"Doctor does this say-,"

"Another universe," he sighed. "But we can't go, it's impossible without the Time Lords holding them open."

"But look, it says there's a way through already," she pointed out, confused. This wasn't supposed to happen yet, it wasn't supposed to happen until her next Doctor. What was happening?

"That isn't possible," the Doctor said, pulling the screen closer to himself as if his sight would prove her wrong. "This isn't possible!"

"Doctor, what do you mean, another universe?" Jack asked with a frown. "There's more than one?"

"Yes, of course," the Doctor rolled his eyes. "There's an entire multiverse. Some are more similar to ours than others. Rose, where's this opening?"

"I'll put us next to it," she offered, sending them flying off, removing her thick jacket while she was at it. The TARDIS stopped shaking - though it wasn't as bad as the Doctor's driving, Rose felt she still had a few things to learn - and she ran over to the doors, opening them.

"What the hell is that?" the Doctor stared, confused.

Rose was lost as well. There was a large, blue rippling hole in the universe, and through it, they could see… two men? "Hello?"

"Who are you?" one replied, confused.

"I'm Rose," she said slowly. "Rose Tyler, and that's the Doctor and Jack Harkness. Uh… where are you?"

"In STAR Labs," the taller man said slowly.

"Uh, in another universe," the first man added, blinking. "The hell is that?"

"Hold on," the Doctor interrupted. "Do you mean to say that you've found a way to stabilize the holes between universes? And you're… human?"

"Totally human," the man agreed. He looked like he was going to add something but changed his mind, leaving it at that.

"Rose," the Doctor waved wildly, and she nodded, running back to the console. Within a short moment, she threw them through the hole, somewhat roughly, considering it was barely big enough for them to go through sideways.

When they landed, they were on the ground having fallen in the chaos. The painful ringing in Rose's head didn't go away as time went on, and she wondered if she'd gotten a concussion.

"What the hell is this?"

Rose glanced up at the man in red who had stepped into the TARDIS. It was fair, she figured since they'd slammed their way into the universe. "Ah, our ship."

"Like a spaceship," the other man stated. "Like a real life, like a- a spaceship."

"I mean, you did open a breach to deep space," the other man pointed out. "Didn't you say once how awful that'd be?"

"Well, _yeah_ , but I said vibing would be awful," he pointed out. "It's not like we stepped through the breach."

"Hold on, who are you guys?" Jack asked, looking defensive.

"I'm Cisco," the shorter man told them. "This is cool. Is that a hyperconductive transmitter?"

Rose frowned. "Okay, where are we? There was an alarm, and then a rip in the universes opened - which shouldn't be possible without the Time Lords - and now we're here."

"Ah, you're on our earth," Cisco said. "And that was a breach, not a hole."

"A breach," the Doctor repeated, lost.

"Yeah, I can open breaches to other universes," Cisco told them. "We were trying to find Mirror Master, but we ended up breaching into deep space instead, and I'm fairly certain there aren't any reflective surfaces there." He paused to look down at his phone when an alarm started going off. "Barry, Barry! Metahuman alert!"

"What is it now?" the man, Barry, groaned. "We've already got our hands full."

"Let's go!"

The two men ran from the TARDIS and, with nothing better to do, the Doctor, Rose, and Jack followed them. They ended up in a large room with a bunch of screens. Barry and Cisco were joined by a woman with white hair and a blue jacket as well as another woman sitting at the computers and an older man frowning heavily.

"Who the hell are they?" the woman in blue asked, her voice vibrating oddly like it was echoing.

"I don't- we don't know, they came through my breach with their spaceship," Cisco said. "What's the alert?"

"It's Oliver," the woman in the chair said. "He's in town, he brought Thea's dad."

"Malcolm Merlyn?" Barry asked, blinking.

"Yeah. They're fighting… someone. I'm not sure why it came up on the metahuman app," she explained. "Felicity is on her way over, she needs a place to run things."

"What are they doing in Central City?" Cisco questioned, frowning. "I didn't even think Merlyn was hanging out in Star City."

"He doesn't, usually. Something must've popped up here that interested him and Oliver followed."

"Great," the older man sighed. "I'll get some officers to block off the area they're fighting."

"Someone has to deal with them," Barry said, pointing at them. "Frost, stay with Iris, figure out what's going on."

"You got it, boss," the girl said, raising an eyebrow. And then, to their surprise, Barry ran out of the room, a blur of red following him. Cisco opened another breach and jumped through before they could see where he was going.

"So," Iris said, looking at them. "Who are you?"

"Rose, Jack, and the Doctor," she said, pointing at herself and then her friends. "We're in another universe, I get that, but we need to get out. Doctor, that alarm-,"

"I know what it was now," he grimaced. "It meant that there's a threat somewhere in another universe - this one, I'd assume - that could very well threaten our universe."

"And what about the TARDIS?" Rose asked him. "Doesn't she run off of the energy from the time vortex?"

"Time vortex?" Iris asked. "You mean the speed force?"

"Speed force?" the Doctor asked. "What is that?"

"It's an essential part of the universe," she told them slowly. "Through it, speedsters can travel through time and it gives them their speed."

"Speedsters," Jack repeated. "Like your friend Barry."

"My husband is the Flash," Iris confirmed. "A speedster. Superhero? No?"

"Sorry," the Doctor shrugged. "Not from around here."

"But if the speed force is different from the time vortex, then how is the TARDIS… okay?" Rose asked. When she'd gone to Pete's World, the TARDIS had died, so it only made sense that she'd do the same there.

"I'd guess that she isn't," the Doctor frowned deeply. "The two are probably similar enough that the TARDIS can still live, but it's poisoning her. Slowly. We need to leave."

"Doctor, we're here for a reason," she pointed out, quietly wondering if the growing pain in her head was from the TARDIS, and if so, what did that mean for when she went to Pete's World? "We can't go until we fix whatever this is."

"What were your friends doing?" Jack asked Iris, glancing from her to the white-haired woman.

"They were trying to follow Mirror Master," Iris told them. She seemed confused as to why she trusted them, but still willing to give them information. "He and Top escaped from prison, and our friend Harry told us that they stopped by Earth 2 before leaving again. They've been tracking them for days but haven't been able to find them."

"Well that's easy," the Doctor said with a smile now. "Just give me some more information on them and I can let you know where they are."

"That easy?" Iris asked, unbelieving.

"That easy," he confirmed. "Rose, why don't you bring the TARDIS in here and we can find these guys."

"Quick question," Jack interrupted. "Why are they called Mirror Master and Top?"

"Mirror Master can travel through any reflective surface, and Top can give you debilitating vertigo. Harry said that when Jessie, his daughter, went to fight them, they combined their powers. Cisco and Barry were working on making a device to stop that, but we still haven't managed to find them with this new ability to travel through universes."

The sound of the TARDIS rang through the air as Rose moved their ship into the large room. She opened the door and leaned against the doorframe, her headache sending her off balance. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to breathe through the pain.

"Rose?" the Doctor asked, looking her over. "What is it?"

"I don't know," she shook her head. "Concussion maybe? I hit my head pretty hard when we landed."

"Caitlin can look you over," Iris spoke up, nodding at the woman Barry had referred to as Frost.

"And I never even did anything fun," she complained. "Tell Caity I expect a trip out later."

"Frost, please," Iris sighed.

They watched in surprise as the blonde hair turned a light brown and her pale skin warmed up. Her blue lips shifted to a soft pink, and her white eyes became brown.

"Well, I didn't expect that," Jack laughed.

"What happened?" the girl asked, confused. "Who's this?"

"Cisco opened a breach and these people came through in their… ship," Iris tilted her head, really looking at the TARDIS for the first time. "They're going to help us with Mirror Master and Top, but she thinks she has a concussion."

"Oh," the girl nodded. "Okay. Well, I'm Dr. Caitlin Snow. I can check you out."

"I can do it," the Doctor denied. "The med bay should be fine."

"Uh, about that," Rose winced. "When I went back in, there were no rooms… no hallway. Just the console room."

"Of course," he looked miserable as he understood. "She's gotten rid of anything extra to preserve it, hiding it from the poison of this universe's time vortex."

"I'm Rose," she introduced herself to Caitlin with a small smile. "I'd appreciate it if you'd look me over."

"I can do it," the Doctor pouted.

"It's not your lab, Doctor," Jack pointed out with a laugh. "Just let the nice lady look her over. I'm sure she won't hurt her."

At that point, it was really not the Doctor's decision as Rose walked into a room just off the large cortex with Caitlin. He let out a sigh and followed behind as Caitlin began doing some tests. She used a relatively advanced scanner for the time they were in to scan Rose's brain and then the rest of her body, just to be safe.

"Oh my god," Caitlin exclaimed, looking at the screen. "Does everyone have two hearts in your universe?"

Rose laughed softly. "No, actually."

"We're aliens," the Doctor told her. To his displeasure, she took it in stride. He'd been hoping for surprise or awe.

"I see. Well, I did scan your brain since you don't have any signs of a concussion. It looks like there are two brain signatures there, somehow. You don't happen to be a meta? Well, I suppose not, since you're an alien. Is this an alien thing, then?"

The Doctor frowned deeply. "You must've read it wrong, she doesn't have- oh."

"I don't understand," Jack said. "A second one implies that she's got someone else in her head."

"I don't even have a second brain signature," Caitlin shook her head. "Granted, Killer Frost is in my DNA, but my point stands."

"Can you disrupt it?" the Doctor asked. "Something must've infected her."

"I think so," she nodded, running back out to the cortex. "Cisco, we need you back here!"

"We're on our way. Bringing everyone back, too."

She nodded. "Cisco's vibrational powers should be able to disrupt it."

"And she'll be safe?" the Doctor asked. He was out of his depths in that universe, in a world full of people with powers. He liked his humans rather harmless… well, not harmless so much as needy.

"She should be," a voice called. The group looked up and Caitlin grinned, along with Iris.

"Harry!" Caitlin exclaimed. "What're you doing here? I thought you were still working on finding Hartley."

"I found him," he waved her off. "Put him right back where he belongs, in his mother's house. I figured I'd come help with Mirror Master, but I see you've run into Earth Zero."

"Earth Zero?" Iris asked. "This isn't like Earth X, is it?"

Harry shook his head, waving his hands in the air for emphasis. "No, no. Earth Zero is like the original. I know you like to think of your Earth as Earth One, the first, but it isn't. No, their universe was home to the race that created all the other universes, the Time Lords."

"Sounds a bit pompous," Iris laughed.

"The Time Lords created multiple different timelines and then sealed them off, away from their timeline," the Doctor continued for the man. "These timelines then spawned more and more, thus creating the multiverse. Infinite universes, expanding and growing off of one another."

"Yes, exactly," Harry agreed. "And you're one of them, aren't you?"

"We are," Rose agreed.

"Not me," Jack interrupted proudly. "Completely human." He winked at Caitlin, though she just rolled her eyes in response.

"Back to the question," Harry continued, setting his bag down on the table by Iris. "Ramon's vibrational blasts should be plenty safe to clear the unknown entity. Add to that the fact that you're not human and heal rather quickly and you'll be perfectly fine."

Before the Doctor could ask how exactly this man knew so much, a breach opened by the door to the lab, and Barry ran into the room at the same time.

"Um, did Cisco tell you who was coming?" he asked nervously.

"He just said everyone," Caitlin frowned. "Why?"

The breach flashed as Oliver and Felicity jumped through, followed quickly by Malcolm Merlyn and about ten members of the League of Assassins, and then finally, Cisco.

"No!" Iris yelled. "We are not having assassins in the cortex!"

"Who is this?" Jack asked, staring at Malcolm.

The man stared back, blinking. "I was going to ask the same thing."

"Jack," the Doctor said, placing his hand on his friend's arm. "We're in another universe. This might be your alternate self's ancestor."

"What did you need me for?" Cisco asked Caitlin. "It sounded urgent."

"Our friend here," she answered, waving at a faint looking Rose. "Needs your help. She's got someone else in her head, you need to get rid of them."

"Sorry, I think you need a psychiatrist first," he told her. Caitlin smacked him lightly.

"Cisco, I'm serious!"

"Fine!" he threw his hands up. "But don't say I didn't warn you. I've never messed with someone's brain before."

"What about that time you vibed me back to Killer Frost?" she questioned. "You used a vibe blast to send me back to a memory that scared me. You had to interact with my brain then."

He shrugged. "I'll do my best."

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Iris yelled as Caitlin, the Doctor, Rose, and Cisco made their way into the infirmary.

"Sorry," Oliver gave her a small, stiff smile. "This is my fault. Someone got ahold of Mirakuru."

"Mirakuru?" she gaped. "Isn't that the stuff that makes super-strong evil guys?"

"It is," Felicity confirmed.

"I tracked the seller to Central City and called Oliver," Malcolm told them. "I said I'd be on the lookout for any still hanging around. It's to be sold in a black market auction tonight. We tried to break in and steal it but there were men outside that were just too strong. We'll try again tonight. My informant says they're moving to another location, but they'll let me know when and where."

"And why did you have to bring your assassins with you?" Iris questioned him, irritated. "I don't want them here."

"Get used to it," he replied sharply. "We're trying to do something good, or do you want metas with superhuman strength roaming about?"

In the infirmary, Caitlin showed Cisco the brain scan, and he moved to where Rose was lying on the table, a pillow beneath her head. "This might… hurt."

"I can handle it," she rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure what the signature was. The Doctor had never discovered it before, so she didn't assume it was the TARDIS.

"Right," he muttered, placing his hands on either side of her head. His fingers brushed her temples, and she let out a groan at her telepathy picking up his vibrations. "What was that? I didn't even do anything."

"Don't touch her temples," the Doctor snapped, frowning down at her. "She can feel you."

" _Feel me_?" Cisco raised his eyebrows. "What, like telepathy? That doesn't exist, man."

"You think so?" Harry asked, making his way into the room. "I bet you could form a link with her. Your mind is so flexible since becoming Vibe, you're probably telepathic as well."

"That makes no sense," he laughed nervously. "I think I'd know if I was."

"Well, think about it this way. Your vibes are already a sort of telepathy. This is just a more firm version. You haven't noticed it because to use telepathy you have to interact with someone else who has it."

"Regardless," Rose spoke up finally. "Please, don't touch my temples. I'm rather sensitive."

"Whatever you say," he shrugged, moving his hands up so that he was touching her hair and not her skin. Without warning, he increased his grip, and she felt his vibe blast collide with something in her mind, something that was definitely a part of her, but also somewhat foreign. She let out a scream, but it was too late. The blast destroyed whatever had been in her mind, and she opened her eyes in a panic.

"Doctor," she gasped. He'd moved closer to her, trying to grab onto her, but his hands just went through her. "Doctor!"

"What the hell happened?" Cisco yelled, looking between her and Harry. She lifted her arm up to see it fading, becoming translucent and slowly disappearing. "Harry!"

"I don't know!" the man yelled back. "What you did, it- it should've been harmless to her! This is something else."

His words got quieter and quieter as she completely disappeared, fading away into darkness.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Rose!"

Rose felt herself abruptly, all at once become _real_ again. And she would've been thankful for that, had she not recognized the voice that called her name.

"Rose, oh my god. Rose."

Forcing her eyes open, she caught sight of a man she hadn't expected to see again, at least for awhile. "Pete."

"Rose, you were gone," he whispered, grabbing her hand. "You were gone, you'd died."

"Pete," she shook her head, tears in her eyes. She could tell that they were in his mansion, and as she looked past him she could see that they were on the floor of his office. "Oh my god. No…"

"Rose, what happened?" he asked her, stroking her hair as she tried to slow her panicked breathing.

"I died," she said slowly. "And then the TARDIS, she saved me. She took me back, all the way back so I could change it all. I was changing it!"

"What are you talking about? How could she do that?" he asked her. He believed her, she could tell, he always did. But she knew it sounded crazy, so she pushed herself to a sitting position first before standing, albeit shakily.

"I died, you know that," she tried again, this time slowly.

"Yes."

"But the TARDIS could tell, so she connected with me somehow. I don't- I don't know how. And she took me all the way back in the timeline to when I met the Doctor. She told me to try again, so I have been."

"Then how'd you get back here?" he asked her with a frown.

"We landed in another universe, not like this one. There was something wrong with me, and this guy was trying to help, and he just… I don't know. I don't understand. Something happened and I disappeared, ended up here. I have to get back, Pete."

"I know, I know, love," he nodded, pulling her into a hug. "We'll fix this."

"Everything is so different," she cried, resting her head in the crook of his neck. "I'm so different, I can't lose this."

"It's okay," he promised. "It'll be okay. Let's go find your mother and Tony."

"Mum," she gasped. "Oh god, how long has it been?"

"About a year," he sighed. "It's been rough on her. She's devastated."

Rose paused, placing a hand on Pete's arm as he tried to leave the room. "No, don't. I'm not staying, Pete. We can't hurt her like this again. She has to mourn me and move on."

The man looked extremely conflicted as he considered her words. "You're right. Seeing you won't do any good. She'll just be hurt when you leave."

"Exactly," Rose nodded. As much as she was desperate to see the mother that had finally understood and accepted the intricacies of her life, she knew she couldn't, for no other reason than that she loved her and wanted to spare her the hurt of losing her again.

"But what exactly can we do about this?" Pete wondered. "How do we find them?"

"I have an idea," she frowned. "Have you kept working on the dimension cannon upgrade?"

"We finished it," he confirmed. "But using it would punch a hole open in the universes that can't be healed."

"Unless we find the right universe. We can be more precise now with this upgrade. As long as we find the right universe, I know someone who can stabilize and close the hole." Or, she hoped he could.

"Right," Pete nodded. "How are we going to find this universe?"

"I've felt the vibrational frequency that my friend runs off of," she explained. "He accidentally made a telepathic connection. I can use that to feel around for his universe."

"But the Doctor, he'll be there?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I doubt the TARDIS would let him leave if he tried."

"Then let's get to work."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Rose!" The Doctor screamed, lurching toward the now empty bed. His eyes shot to Cisco, darkening. The last time he'd truly thought he'd lost Rose was when the Dalek had threatened her. Now, though, he'd watched her disappear, die, right before his eyes. "What the hell did you do?"

"Doctor," Jack said slowly as he rounded the bed, pushing himself toward the horrified man.

"What did you do to her?" he screamed, his eyes dark.

"I- I don't know!" Cisco shouted back, raising his hands. "That shouldn't have happened!"

"It's not his fault," Harry interrupted. They were gathering the attention of the people in the cortex, and before the Doctor could stop him, Barry grabbed Cisco and moved him across the room to stand between him and Oliver, who had his bow out cautiously.

"What happened?" Oliver asked Cisco, keeping his eyes on the Doctor, who felt more stuck than ever.

"I don't know," Cisco repeated. "She just disappeared."

"Well, what did you do?" Felicity asked him in an accusatory tone.

"Nothing!"

The Doctor scowled at them and stomped out of the room, rushing into the TARDIS while they argued and Harry came up with theories on what had happened. Jack followed him inside, closing the door behind them.

"Doctor, what are you doing?"

"The TARDIS," he replied slowly. "She might've… she could have readings, I don't know."

"Doctor."

The pair glanced to the left as the TARDIS projected an image of the Doctor to them. The man looked tired and concerned, the only reason the Doctor could tell that it wasn't just a projection from the TARDIS.

"What's this?" Jack wondered.

"Myself."

"This is an emergency protocol. If something happens to Rose or for some reason, it becomes more dangerous for you not to know… Darlig Ulv Stranden."

"Doctor? What does that mean?"

The Doctor didn't reply as the information he'd kept hidden came back to him all at once. It settled in uncomfortably and he slowly began to understand. The projection shifted and the vision of the Doctor became stiller, more emotionless.

"Rose Tyler is not dead. Our connection was cut, and her hold on this universe in this point in the timeline was destroyed. Only I held her here, or in our universe. She was taken back to the universe she lived in after losing you."

"We have to go get her," the Doctor said firmly.

"You cannot. I can only enter that universe once."

"Then don't save it from Cybermen!" he screamed. "We have to get Rose!"

"She will come back to you," the TARDIS soothed him. "Prepare Cisco to stabilize a breach. Pete will bring her back to you."

"What will keep her here?" the Doctor asked her. "Without your connection, won't she just go straight back to that universe?"

"If Pete comes with her, he can be her hold on where she is until we can reconnect."

"She's safe." The TARDIS projection disappeared, and the Doctor sighed deeply. He left the TARDIS without bothering to tell Jack what had happened, finding himself in the middle of a shouting match between Cisco and Harry.

"Hey!" Jack screamed, getting their attention. "Calm down."

"We know what happened," the Doctor told them. "You need to be prepared to stabilize a tear in the universe."

"A _tear_?" Felicity asked. "How would you tear the universe?"

"Rose made this thing when she was stuck in another universe, it's called the dimension canon. It can rip holes in the universe that typically close quickly. But that's dangerous, and the universe needs something to heal it, like Cisco's breaches do. So when she and her dad open a hole to this universe, it has to be healed by a breach."

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked. "When was she stuck in another universe?"

"Awhile ago," the Doctor shook his head. "It won't happen if we can help it. She's… it's a long story. She can tell you."

"Okay," Cisco tilted his head, sceptical. "And how is she going to find the right universe? I can't imagine how long it'd take her to find it."

The Doctor paused, thinking back to the time she spent looking for her original universe before she died. She'd never made it back, but she'd spent months looking, and longer on each earth, since each earth ran faster or slower than others. "Ah."

"What happened to my murderous doppelganger and his murder friends?" Jack asked Barry with a frown.

"They left," he shrugged. "Iris was about to kick them out."

"I'm sorry, I don't think it's ridiculous to not want assassins in my building," she defended.

"Technically, it's _my_ building," Barry pointed out.

"But we're married," she smiled innocently. "So it's mine, too."

"Mirror Master," the Doctor said, grabbing their attention. "The information I needed?"

"Oh," Felicity tossed him a USB key. "We put everything we have on them on here."

"This should work," he nodded, heading back into the TARDIS. It was quick work. The TARDIS still functioned relatively normally, if not for the missing rooms. Once the TARDIS processed it all, he got a location and a time of when the man would be in that universe again.

"So?" Jack asked, leaning against the door. "What'd you get?"

"They'll be back in Central City in a few hours," he told them as he closed the TARDIS doors.

"Why?" Oliver wondered. "What for?"

"Don't know. Iris said you two were working on a device to stop them?" he asked Cisco and Barry. "What's that?"

"When I went to the future to learn more about Savitar, future Cisco of another timeline made a device to stop me from going back to the past, to my time. Then when I went to fight Mirror Master and Top, he modified the device so that we could stop him," Barry explained. "Cisco said he can make it."

"And now that Harry's here," Cisco waved his hands toward the hallway, and Harry nodded, walking out of the room with Cisco following. "It'll be done soon."

"I am going to go back to the store and work my magic," Barry told Oliver. "I'll let you know if I find anything."

"His magic," the Doctor repeated, raising an eyebrow as Barry sped from the room. "What- what does that mean?"

"Barry's a CSI for CCPD," Caitlin explained. "Between that and being the Flash, he does a lot of good in this city."

"And how exactly did you people get these… abilities?" Jack wondered.

"A particle accelorator," Iris told him. "Harrison Wells, or Eobard Thawn, built it, and it exploded. Dark matter was spread throughout the city, and metahumans were created."

"That's why you get… cold?" Jack joked, looking at Caitlin. She hesitated.

"Yeah."

"You released dark matter into the city," the Doctor repeated, shaking his head. "Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"It's not our fault," Iris defended. "Eobard was insane. He wanted to do it."

"The particle accelorator should've run perfectly," Caitlin agreed. "We made sure of it. But he messed with it, changed just one tiny decimal point, and it exploded."

The Doctor shook his head. "You shouldn't have even built a particle accelorator for… oh, ten years? It's beyond you, or it should've been."

"Yeah," Caitlin frowned. "I'd say that's Eobard's fault. He was from the future, he probably accelorated some things."

"Time travel," the Doctor scoffed. "Humans shouldn't have it."

"Hey," Jack protested. "I was a time agent."

"Yeah, and they took two years of your memories."

"Fair point."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose had stopped by her bedroom to grab a hoodie to cover her face and then they'd made their way to Torchwood. It was a Sunday and not many people were there, so it wasn't too hard to get in unnoticed.

"Where are you keeping it?" she asked as they entered his office.

"I moved it in here, actually," he replied, opening his safe. It was larger than the one he'd had when she died, and she assumed he'd gotten a new one to hold the canon. "No one but you could use it with your key and your connection to that universe. Mickey tried but it wouldn't turn on. I didn't want to get rid of it, so I've been keeping it here."

"Couldn't Mickey have just grabbed my key?" she wondered, picking up a picture from his desk of Rose, Pete, Jackie, Tony, and Mickey. Her little family in that universe.

"Um, no, actually," he frowned, turning to her. "Your body sort of… disappeared after you died."

"That must've been the TARDIS taking me back to my universe," she hummed. Pete removed the canon from the safe and placed it in the middle of the large room. "It's finished…"

"The upgrade will focus on targeting the right universe," he confirmed. "You still have your key?"

"My DNA should be fine, actually," she told him. "It'll get me to wherever the Doctor is."

"What year were you in?"

She paused. "What?"

"Well, the dimension canon theoretically should only travel through universes, not time."

"Theoretically?"

"Well, we didn't really have much of a chance to test it once you were gone."

She sighed, shaking her head. "We'll just have to hope for the best, I guess."

"I'll give you the comms we made," he told her. "Let me know where you are, what's happening. When you find the right universe, I'll shut the canon off."

"It still works the same? When it's on, I use the watch to jump universes to look for the right one?"

"Yes. Remember, once I turn off the canon, there's no way to get into contact again," he warned. "Are you sure you want to do this now?"

"I have to get back to him," she nodded. Pete didn't look surprised and instead just plucked the comms from the canon and handed them over, along with the watch. She put them on quickly, looking back to her dad with a sad smile. "I've missed you, Pete."

He smiled back, and she could see that he felt the same. "If you're rewriting things, you'll see me again, won't you?"

"Not _you_ ," she shook her head. "You're more my dad than my father was. I won't get the chance with you once things are so different."

"But you'll have what you always wanted," he reminded her gently. "You'll be with the Doctor, forever. I'm okay with giving you up if you're happy again, Rose."

"Yeah," she sighed, shaking off the conversation to get back to the point. "Anyway, I guess we should get started."

He nodded, placing his comm in his ear before switching the canon on. A large rip opened in front of the door. It was somewhat similar to Cisco's breaches, though his were clean and very blue while the rip was jagged and dark.

Rose pressed a kiss to his cheek and, before she could think about it, jumped in.

She came out the other side and crumpled to the ground. Her head was full of noise, deafening noise and she couldn't move as she tried to push it all back. A feeling of dread rushed through her, but she couldn't think about it. Her mind was a mess, and it felt almost as painful as when she'd turned into a Time Lady, except now, her mind was horribly full instead of large and empty.

"Doctor, Doctor, who is this?"

Her head shot up at the name, and her gut twisted.

"Doctor!" The woman yelled. "Intruder!" To Rose's surprise, the woman removed a knife from her boot and ran forward at her. She braced herself, unsure if she could even move at the moment.

"Leela! Leela, no!" A man yelled, grabbing her before she could reach Rose. "Don't touch her!"

"She is an intruder," the woman, Leela, argued. "Why do you protect her?"

"Because she is my bond mate," the man, the Doctor, explained, releasing Leela from his hold to look at Rose. She was having a hard time focusing, the loud noises in her head still hurting her.

"Doctor," she muttered. "Where am I?"

"We're on Gallifrey," he said slowly. "Do you know what's happening?"

"I-," she squeezed her eyes shut. "Pete?"

"Rose?" he replied, sounding muffled. "You okay?"

"Gallifrey," was her only response. He waited a beat.

"Ah."

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked her, kneeling down. "What's wrong?"

"It's… so loud," she told him, biting down on her lip. "What is this?"

He frowned at her. "Gallifrey. You're hearing the Time Lords."

"I've never heard them before," she muttered, opening her eyes to look at him. He had curly brown hair and a very long scarf, and she grabbed his hand, trying to calm down. "It's only ever been you."

"That's horribly lonely," he told her. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah," she winced, letting him help her to her feet. The pain of the noise was slowly dissipating, and she breathed out, looking at the Doctor. "I don't… I'm in the wrong place, Doctor."

"I know," he nodded. "Where were you aiming for?"

"A different universe," she shook her head. "I should've known it'd take me to you. I changed since we set the DNA settings."

"Why don't you slow down and tell me what's going on? And… who you are."

She sighed, unsure what she could say. "I'm Rose, and uh… You'll need to block all of this out."

"Of course."

"It's complicated. I travelled with you for about two years, and then we got separated. I ended up in an alternate universe with no way to get back."

"The Time Lords could've gotten you back," he told her, confused.

"It was complicated," she reminded him. "But in this universe, we noticed that the stars were going out. At this point, I was completely human."

"But you're not now?" Leela asked.

"No, I'm a Time Lady," she confirmed. "But I was human then. And we were working on a way to get me back to you, Doctor. The dimension canon. Before we could find my universe, this one, some aliens invaded. They needed a telepath to get rid of them. I knew it would kill me, but I did it. I died. The TARDIS brought me back."

"The- _the TARDIS_?" The Doctor looked at his ship. "You can't go around bringing people back to life!"

Their ship let out an angry wheeze, making Rose laugh. "She does whatever she wants, Doctor."

"So, she brought you back," he waved her on. "And?"

"And, he put me at the beginning of my time with you. To rewrite things. And I have been. Things have changed. We saved a few people that we didn't last time."

"And how did you get here?"

"We got a warning. There was a threat in another universe that could potentially threaten ours. There was a… breach open, and we went through. I hit my head, thought I had a concussion, but it wasn't. This guy we met, he tried to get rid of a secondary brain signature because the Doctor- um, you thought it was some sort of infection, but instead, it just made me disappear. I ended up back in the other universe with my dad. We tried using the dimension canon but since I changed, it sent me to you and not my Doctor."

The Doctor paused. "You couldn't have changed from a human to a Time Lady, Rose, it's impossible."

Her lips quirked up. "I hate that word. It is possible, but that's an even longer story."

"So, we need to get you back to your Doctor," he hummed. "Leela, you stay here. Romana won't forgive me if she thinks I won't be coming back."

"But you are coming back?" the girl asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Of course," he replied, waving off her concern. "Go distract them while I take care of Rose here."

"K-9!" the girl called. Rose let out a bright laugh at the sight of the robotic dog following Leela out of the TARDIS.

"Show me," she requested, moving to his side as he worked to get them to another universe. "You've been teaching me to pilot the TARDIS."

"Well, this isn't like the usual jumps between universes," he informed her. "We'll be using your memories to get us there."

She nodded, pushing herself to the other side of the console where the device he was talking about sat.

"Rose," he looked at her. "Tell me. How are you a Time Lady?"

She hesitated. "Doctor, in the future, there's already so many memories that you've got blocked. Do you really think it's safe to add this as well?"

"I won't block it," he offered. "I can just… erase it."

"You can do that?"

"Yes, I can."

Rose considered it and sighed, leaning against the console. "The first time I was traveling with you, it was with your ninth body. We ran into some enemies, and there was a decision that had to be made. To do the right thing, we'd die. So, you put me in the TARDIS and sent me back home to my mother. I… did not like that.

"I ripped the heart of the TARDIS open and looked inside, and she looked back. Together, we created the Bad Wolf. It was a mixture of her and I, spreading a message throughout the universe to lead me back to you. I vaporized the enemy, but I was only human. I shouldn't have been able to hold the time vortex in my mind for so long, and so you took it out of me to save me. You didn't realize it, but you could only take away the time vortex. Bad Wolf still was and always will be a part of me.

"You regenerated. We moved on. And then when I came back, the TARDIS had to supress my Time Lady DNA, essentially turning me into a human. Well… you were suspicious. And there was an accient… something happened and I was having nightmares, bad ones. You tried to comfort me but you accidentally slipped into my mind, saw these nightmares. You saw me die, as well as the song of the Bad Wolf."

"I entered your mind without permission?" he asked, horrified. She shook her head quickly.

"I was asleep, it was an accident. I didn't want you to see those nightmares but I know it was an accident. Anyway, you were too suspicious after that. The nightmares, you understood. They were from my past, before I met you. But my dying, looking twenty-four when you knew me to be nineteen? That was too much.

"You offered to show me the song one day and told me about my death. I'm not entirely sure what happened… I don't remember much of it, honestly. You said that there was an energy exploding from me, from my mind. The TARDIS told you that I was regenerating, and you sort of… I don't know. You tried to protect me and my mind, and it formed our bond. Bad Wolf told you to leave and then… I didn't regenerate in the end but the TARDIS lost control over my human facade."

"And you never got rid of our bond?"

It was a fair question. She'd be curious too if she were him.

"No. We both thought it would be better to keep it. My mind has been destroyed before. You were worried about it happening again. Plus… I've been in love with you for years."

He shook his head, looking somewhat overwhelmed. "Your Doctor, he must know that. You can feel each other's emotions just as I can feel yours now."

"I'm sure he does," she shrugged. "We're not in a place we can talk about it now, Doctor. Not after… recent events."

As horribly curious as he looked, he seemed to sense her reluctance to elaborate and moved on instead. "Yes. Place your hands in the reader and think of the universe you last saw your Doctor. Think of the people you met and what was happening."

"And this is safe?" she asked him, hesitating. "We won't hurt the universes?"

"No," he waved off her concern. "We're Time Lords, my dear. We created the other universes, of course we can control them and entry to them."

"Of course," she repeated, placing her hands in the fleshy device. She thought of Jack and Malcolm. She thought of the Doctor and his anxiety over the TARDIS. She thought of Killer Frost and how disappointed she was for not being able to do anything. And then she thought of Cisco and how he'd broken her connection to the TARDIS.

She pulled her hands out when the TARDIS stopped wheezing, suggesting they'd landed somewhere. Sharing a glance with the Doctor, she stepped to the door and opened it, staring out at the sight before her.

"Rose," Harry said, surprised. The room was much more empty than it was before, and the distinct lack of assassins stood out to her. Beyond that, everyone but Harry and Jack had left.

"Rosie," Jack grinned. He paused to look at the TARDIS and the Doctor, who had moved to stand beside her. "I don't understand."

"I am the Doctor," he introduced himself.

"I had a way to get back to my universe," she explained. "But it sent me to the wrong Doctor, the wrong… planet entirely."

"The Doctor said you'd need Cisco and your… Pete," Jack looked confused, and Rose realized that after this adventure, it was time to tell him everything. "He said you couldn't be… connected with this universe without Pete until you connected with the TARDIS again."

Rose's wide eyes slid to the Doctor. "He's right. How am I…?"

"I'd assume it's me," the Doctor frowned. "Regardless of what you change, what happens, you cannot change me. My timeline diverges when I meet you. The original timeline where I lose you, and this new one you're writing. None of that does anything to me, therefore I can act as a grounding agent until you no longer need me."

Rose glanced between Jack and Harry, overwhelmed. "Where's the Doctor? And everyone else?"

"They all left," Harry told her. "Cisco, Felicity, and Iris were needed for surveillance. They found the Mirakuru seller and Mirror Master. Your Doctor went after Mirror Master with Cisco."

"The Doctor might be an alien but he can't fight, not like that," Rose told them, alarmed. "He could get hurt."

"I can handle myself, Rose," the Doctor promised her, placing a hand on her arm. "Let's get into the TARDIS and start grounding you again."

"She's being poisoned," Rose warned him. "By this universe's time vortex-,"

"Speed force," Harry interrupted. She shot him a glare and he put his hands up, quieting down.

"She should be fine to help you," the Doctor promised. "Let's go."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Turn it on, turn it on!" Cisco cried, leaning to the side. With Mirror Master and Top's powers combined, he didn't want to imagine what it could be like if he actually fell. He had a feeling he'd end up in a mirror like Barry had when they first ran into the pair.

Thankfully, the Doctor switched on the device and threw it to Cisco. The man caught it and breathed out in relief when the powers stopped.

"What'd you do to us?" Top screamed, looking panicked. "What did you do?"

"Stopped you," Cisco grinned, breaching right behind her to cuff her. The Doctor slipped cuffs onto Mirror Master as well.

"Is it always this easy?" the Doctor joked as Cisco opened a breach back to STAR Labs. They jumped through with their new prisoners, and the Doctor stopped short at the sight of another TARDIS. "Rose."

"She's okay, Doc," Jack told him quickly. "They're in your TARDIS."

"Who is they?" he asked, handing Mirror Master to Harry. "Who is she with?"

"Uh," Jack frowned. "You, I guess."

"Of course," he sighed, pacing into his TARDIS. Rose was lying on the grating with her head in a familiar lap. It looked almost as if she'd fallen and he'd caught her. "What's happening?"

His younger self looked up at him, and suddenly he was very sick of seeing himself, especially after the run-in with his future self. "As soon as we entered your TARDIS, she collapsed. I'd assume they're making a connection again."

"And where did she find you?"

"Gallifrey."

The word shocked him, sending a cold dread through him. He'd known that this face was from before the war, obviously, considering he was the first face after the war. Still, hearing that the man had just been on his home world, that Rose had been there…

"How long?"

"A few minutes," Jack answered. "How long do you think it'll take?"

'It should be over soon," he told them, relaxing slightly. He was tired of seeing Rose look so weak. "I'm not entirely sure how long it took the first time, but most of that would've been the power it took for her to bring Rose back to this universe, to put her in her younger body. Now, they just have to make a connection again."

Rose's eyes opened slowly, and to the Doctor's surprise, the normal golden glow was almost flowing from her eyes, dripping down her face. He recognized that from a memory of hers, one he'd had locked away.

"Bad Wolf?"

She didn't reply, just looked between both Doctors, frowning at them. Slowly, ever so slowly, the golden glow receded and Rose's normal, bright eyes remained. "Doctor?"

"We're here," the younger Doctor told her. "What was that?"

"A friend," the Doctor told himself. "You're okay?"

"I'm… fine," she frowned, looking distracted. "What's happening?"

"We caught Mirror Master and Top," he told her. "We can go home now."

"She doesn't have much power left," she told him, staring at the console. "She can only make one trip."

"I can give you a tow," the fourth Doctor winked at her. "How's your head doing?"

She avoided his gaze and the Doctor felt her complex twist of emotions. "All better."

"If we're gonna go, we should go," Jack told them. "You said your ship was being poisoned."

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded. "Rose, can you stand?"

With the younger Doctor's help, she got to her feet. They didn't bother to say goodbye, not with the way both TARDISes were being drained. The process of getting them back to their universe was relatively simple with the fourth Doctor leading the way, using the help of the Time Lords.

Once back in their universe, Rose looked up at the screen, smiling at the Doctor that had helped her. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Try not to get lost again," he requested, tapping his nose. "I'll be seeing you, Rose."

With that, the screen switched back to the usual readings flashing through, and Rose found herself wrapped up in a hug by the Doctor. She imagined Jack would be a part of that hug as well, had he not run off to get a shower. She didn't blame him - he'd not showered in days, distracted by all of their trips.

"Oh," she squeaked, letting out a laugh. "What's this for?"

"I thought you'd died," he told her in an accusatory tone. "Don't you ever do that to me again."

"I'll do my best," she chuckled. "So… did you…?"

"The TARDIS," he confirmed. "She told me where you were, but for me to understand that, she had to fill me in again."

"Right so… Doctor, I can hear her," she explained. "I can still hear the TARDIS."

"I thought you already could hear her song," he questioned, confused.

"No, I could," she shook her head. "But now… I understand her. It's like it's in English."

The Doctor tilted his head, thinking back to Bad Wolf. "We can run some tests if you want, but I'd assume it's harmless. Your connection with the TARDIS is probably much stronger than it was before, now that there was intent and acceptance from both parties."

"But I'm safe?"

"I'd say so."

"Thank you, Doctor."

He stared at her for a moment before he noticed how close they were and turned away, messing with the console. "We'll have to head back to your time, sit on the rift for a while to heal up the TARDIS. She was already running low as is."

"We can say hello to my mum," she smiled. "Sounds good to me."

"Alright. We'll head out tomorrow."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

 **Summary:**

 **The TARDIS was pulled to another universe because of a threat to their own from that universe. They ended up meeting Team Flash. There was something wrong with Rose's head, so Cisco tried to vibe blast it out but ended up destroying her connection to the TARDIS, which was why she was able to stay with the Doctor at all. Without it, she was sent back to Pete's World, a year after she died. They came up with a way to send her back, but it didn't go quite as planned and she ended up meeting the fourth Doctor on Gallifrey. He helped her get back to her Doctor, to the universe with Team Flash, and there she was able to rebuild her connection to the TARDIS, though this time it was stronger. The Doctor and Cisco took care of the threat and they left without saying goodbye since the speed force (that universe's version of the time vortex) was poisoning the TARDIS. The fourth Doctor towed them back to their universe and said goodbye.**

 **I don't believe I've left anything out, and those are the most important parts. Next is Boom Town and Jack learning… just about everything about Rose, but also a few things about himself.**


	18. Boom Town

**We're nearing the end… well, the end of the ninth Doctor. Fun fact, I actually hate this episode but it's easier for me to write than a lot of the episodes I do like. It's very weird.**

 **Anyway, remember I love your feedback so please review or shoot me a message!**

 **Enjoy.**

 **Boom Town**

"So, are you going to tell me?"

Rose glanced up at her door, raising an eyebrow. "I thought I locked that."

"It was unlocked when I got here," Jack told her. She threw a glare at her ceiling, fully believing the TARDIS had unlocked it for him.

"I didn't assume you wanted to hear my life story yet," she told him, closing her book and patting her bed. He made his way over to sit next to her.

"Well, let's see. When we met, you told me that we're friends in my future and that I let someone loose that wanted to kill you. On accident. And then after the whole mess was over with, you get kidnapped by your ex, who apparently is a Time Lord, and also your future self and the Doctor's future self showed up. Then we went and met my future self. And then we found you, both of you, in a not great state."

"Yeah."

"And now we've gone to another universe where you were sent to… _another_ universe, and then there was another Doctor… Rose, you gotta tell me what's going on. And why doesn't the Doctor remember everything?"

She sighed, turning the lamp next to her bed on for added light. "It is a very long story, Jack."

"The Doctor said we aren't going anywhere until tomorrow morning."

She shook her head, wondering where to begin. "From the start, then."

"That'd be nice."

"You have to understand that once I tell you this, you'll know events that haven't happened yet. Things that are still in your future."

He looked hesitant but nodded firmly.

"When I was nineteen, I met the Doctor. This Doctor. I was human and I was intrigued by him. We traveled for a year before it happened, the beginning of everything. We came to a place called the Game Station. It was horrible. There was an enemy from the Doctor's past… they were going to destroy the earth. He had a solution but we wouldn't make it out alive. So he sent me away in the TARDIS. But I ripped open her heart and looked inside, took in the time vortex and became… something else. The Bad Wolf."

"Bad Wolf," Jack repeated. "The Doctor said that when you woke up earlier."

"Yeah," she shrugged. She'd not known she'd gone Bad Wolf until they'd told her after getting back home. "I was able to control all of time and space. I destroyed the enemy. I was only human, though. I was dying, and the Doctor knew it, so he took the time vortex out of me and into himself. It ended up killing him. He regenerated into a new Doctor. The new, new, Doctor," she laughed to herself, smiling at the memory.

"We traveled together for another year or so. Things got… pretty bad. We were never as close as we are now, but I definitely loved him. And then we… God, Jack. We met two of the worst enemies at the same time. They invaded earth thanks to Torchwood."

"Isn't that… where I work? In the future?"

Rose shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure what that's about. You wouldn't tell me when I asked. I trust you, though."

"Okay…"

"Well, we found a way to send them away. They'd traveled to our universe from another through something called the Void, which meant they were seeped in Void… stuff, as the Doctor put it. But so were we, because we'd had our own trip to another universe as well, aside from the one we just had. So everyone had to leave, but I didn't want to. I couldn't leave the Doctor. He tried to send me away. I came back."

"You'd think he'd learn after you ripped his ship open," Jack joked, making her smile.

"You'd think. We had to put these giant clamps on the walls and hold on while the enemies were sucked into the Void, where they'd be stuck forever. But the control I'd held down slipped and I had to let go to fix it. I almost flew into the Void but my dad- um, Pete from the other universe, he grabbed me and took me to his universe. I was… stuck. The rips between universes were closing and opening them again would… destroy everything."

The memory still stung. She could clearly remember the pain she'd felt when she'd realized she'd never see the Doctor again. Jack grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly, something she was grateful for. She took a moment before she began again.

"I got used to life there. My mum had been taken to that universe and she fell in love with Pete… my dad died when I was little, so having Pete was an amazing gift. My best friend growing up, Mickey, he'd stayed back the first time we went to Pete's World, so he was there as well. I wasn't fully alone but it… it felt like it. Pete had control of Torchwood of that world and I began working for him. I fought alien threats and protected the earth. It just… was not the same.

"And then we noticed it. The stars were going out. It was the only reason I could justify to myself building the dimension canon. I'd wanted to since I'd been stranded but I couldn't risk destroying two universes because I missed the Doctor. We built a device that worked to send me to different universes but it wasn't specific enough. I spent… so long in other universes. So different and so similar to the two I'd lived in. Some were really bad. The worst part was the time I had to wait to be brought back home. Sometimes I'd be stranded for days, even months at a time while I waited for the canon to be back online. It didn't seem like that for them, of course. It was minutes to them. Time runs differently in each universe, though."

"How long did you spend looking?" Jack asked softly, concern shining in his eyes. She shrugged, not wanting to think about it.

"Too long. I took a break when I was too frustrated, too tired. I went on vacation to this little island where my dad had a home. I was found by some aliens… to cut a long story short, they destroyed my mind looking for any mention of the Doctor. I managed to withhold that information, I think, but they just left me there. I was forced to rebuild my mind alone. It was awful.

"And then the 456 came. They sent messages to us through the children of the world… they wanted kids. See, kids are more susceptible to telepathic messages. But I'm telepathic, we learned that with the aliens invading my mind. So, I got the message as well. In the end, we found a way to get rid of them but it required a child's mind. The child wouldn't live. Their mind was to be used as a transmitter, basically screaming back at the 456 until they left. But I was working the case. For the most part, I was in charge. So, I hooked myself up. I died."

"You died."

"I died," she confirmed. "The TARDIS felt me die, I'd assume because of Bad Wolf, and she didn't like it, so she snatched me up and sent me all the way back to the beginning of my time with the Doctor and told me to fix it."

"What about the stars going out?"

Rose shrugged. "We never figured it out, at least not before I died. Dad never said anything about it when I was there earlier, either."

"And what about your ex?"

"Right," she sighed. She was definitely not looking forward to that part of the conversation. "When I was fifteen, I met a guy named Jimmy Stone. He was nineteen, and I liked the attention. He told me I was more mature than the other girls my age. Things got steadily worse, and he drove my mum and I apart until I moved out and in with him after a huge fight with her where I didn't feel like I could go home. That's when the abuse really began. He hit me, drugged me… there was a lot, Jack. He assaulted me, sexually and physically. He kept me drugged so that I wouldn't know what was going on or… would be more docile. He tried to kill me a few times. I only survived out of pure luck each time, honestly. It lasted for three years until a man saved me from him. I don't know who he was, but he got me away.

"Jimmy was beyond angry. He stalked me for a while, called me a whore, slut, anything the could think of. He tried to kill me again. I started dating my friend Mickey because I was so scared. All Mickey wanted to do was protect me. The cops wouldn't listen to me or give me a restraining order.

"After I started traveling with the Doctor, we ended up coming back to visit my mum. The Doctor overshot, and it had been a full year that I'd been gone, so once I was home, mum told the entire estate. And Jimmy overheard. I went for a walk and he tried to kill me. He almost did, and he would've if you hadn't stepped in."

"I stepped in."

"Yeah. You and Ianto. You locked him up. The rest of that was… a mess. Um… actually, you didn't know it was Jimmy so… just pretend you don't know until Ianto tells us, okay?"

"... sure."

Rose laid back on the bed to stare up at the starry painting on her ceiling. Jack did the same, fitting his hand into hers to comfort her.

"So he's a Time Lord," Jack said cautiously.

"I guess so," she frowned. "I always thought he was human. The Doctor said he didn't recognize the name, though. My question, I guess, is that if he's a Time Lord, why is he so obsessed with me?"

"Maybe you do something to him or meet him in the future and he gets pissed off," Jack suggested slowly. "Like you said when we met, time travel is weird."

"Yeah, but that would suggest that I go back to Gallifrey, or at least run into more Time Lords somehow," she pointed out. "I don't know if I could handle more than the Doctor in my head. God, Jack… it was so loud. It hurt. It still hurts."

"Have you asked the Doctor about that? I only know so much about telepathy."

"No," she shook her head. "I don't want to bring it up. The fact that I've gone to Gallifrey when he can never go back… I don't want to do that to him."

"What if something's wrong?"

"I'm sure it'll go away," she told him.

"Well, what does it feel like?"

"Before…" she trailed off, thinking back to when she appeared on the young Doctor's TARDIS. "Before it felt like every single person on the planet was screaming inside my head."

"And now?"

"Um," she concentrated. "Sort of… painfully empty. I adjusted to the pain of the noise, but now it feels like my head will never be full again."

"I thought you said you don't want anyone other than the Doctor in your head," he pointed out.

"Well, I don't," she confirmed. "But now there's this feeling like I'm so… alone. It hurts."

"Did your mind ever get healed?"

She blinked, surprised at the subject change. "Yeah, when I became a Time Lady, the Doctor healed my mind."

"So when there were so many voices in your head so suddenly, they probably opened some of those closed wounds, opened up some scars," he suggested. "There's a difference between feeling alone and being in pain."

She shook her head. "That… makes sense. I don't know what to do about it, though."

"Have the Doctor go in and heal you back up," he told her. "I'd offer but I'm not exactly telepathic. Totally human, I am."

Rose let out a breath. "Later. Would you like me to finish the story?"

He waved her on and she frowned, trying to remember where she was at.

"Right. So, the Doctor accidentally showed me the locked away song of the Bad Wolf, and I started regenerating. He tried to protect me and created our bond. I didn't regenerate in the end, but I am a full Time Lady now, just with a little… extra. He's not sure what it is but I'm fairly certain it's Bad Wolf."

"Is that all of it?" he asked when she slowed down again.

"Pretty much. The only other thing… back in the old timeline, you were my best friend, Jack. Family. But I never got to tell you how much I appreciated you. You held me during my nightmares and made me laugh when the Doctor had upset me. You made me think that maybe I'm not worthless, you showed me the way you see me, and that… god, Jack, that's something I can never really thank you for."

He gave her a bright smile and kissed her forehead, pulling her into a tight hug. The pair laid like that until they fell asleep, only occasionally saying something to one another. Rose relished the moment, feeling more comforted and at home than she had in a while.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Doctor grabbed the wire cutters as Rose threw them to him quickly before she made her way back to the console, still staring at the same thing she'd been looking at for the last fifteen minutes. "Whatever you're reading, it isn't gonna change just because you read it again."

"You don't know that," she muttered in denial, turning around to lean against the console and watch him. "How's she doing?"

"Not good," he answered honestly as Jack opened the door. "But after some repairs and our little visit, she should be in great shape."

"Anything I can do?"

"Yeah, matter of fact," he raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't make us visit your mother."

She rolled her eyes and turned back to where Jack stood arguing with Mickey. "Ah, leave him alone."

"Yeah, leave me alone," Jack told Mickey. Rose smacked his arm.

"I meant you!"

"Here comes trouble," the Doctor called, pushing the light strapped to his forehead up. "How ya doin' Rickey boy?"

"It's Mickey," he snapped back.

"Relax," Rose told him. "He's just trying to rile you up."

"You look fantastic," he smiled. She returned it. They'd had multiple phone calls in the time she'd been gone and she'd finally gotten it through that they weren't meant to be. He'd agreed and had started seeing someone, much to Rose's relief. Their hug was cut short by the Doctor tossing down his wrench. She managed to catch it before it slammed to the ground, her eyes sliding up to the grumpy Time Lord.

"Oi!" She snapped. "Careful up there. Not all of us can regenerate."

"If it had been going to hit anyone, it would've hit you," the Doctor pointed out. "And you _can_ regenerate."

"Yeah, but who's been nagging me about not wasting them?"

He waved her off, climbing down from the ladder.

"How come I never get any of this love?" Jack joked, wiping the grease off of the wrench with a rag.

"Buy me a drink first," the Doctor replied.

"Such hard work."

"But worth it."

"Are they flirting?" Mickey asked her, lost. She chuckled at the question.

"This is how they bond. This or insulting one another."

Mickey shook his head. "So, what're you doing in Cardiff? And what's with Jumpin Jack Flash? I mean you've got big ears here-,"

"Oi!"

"Look in a mirror," he told the Doctor before turning back to Jack. "But this guy here, I don't know. He's kinda-,"

"Handsome?" Jack asked with a smirk.

"More like cheesy."

Jack frowned, putting down the wrench and moving next to Rose. "Early twenty-first century slang, is cheesy good or bad?"

"Bad," Mickey answered.

"But bad is good," Jack reasoned.

"Are you saying I'm not handsome?" the Doctor asked, sounding hurt.

"We're just refueling," Rose told Mickey, switching subjects before things got out of hand. "She took a pretty big power drain, we've got to fuel her up and then we'll be off."

"Refuel?"

"Thing is, Cardiff's got this rift running through the middle of the city," she explained with a grin. "It's invisible but it's like an earthquake fault between different dimensions."

"But the rift was healed back in 1869," the Doctor continued.

"Thanks to a girl named Gwenyth," Rose nodded. "Cause these creatures called the Gelth, they were using the rift as a gateway, but she saved the world and closed it."

"But closing a rift always leaves a scar, and that scar generates energy. Harmless to the human race-," Jack waved toward the door.

"But perfect for the TARDIS," the Doctor told him. "I just park her here for a couple of days, right on top of the scar, and-,"

"Open up the engines, soak up the radiation-,"

"Like filling her up with petrol and off we go," Rose smiled brightly.

"Into time!" Jack announced.

"And space!" they all said, high fiving at the same time.

Mickey stared at the three of them in amazement. "My god, have you seen yourselves? You all think you're so clever, don't you?"

"Yeah," the Doctor said because he always did.

"Yeah," Rose agreed.

"Yup," Jack patted his shoulder.

Rose pushed gently past her childhood friend and stepped out of the TARDIS, her eyes cast toward where she knew Torchwood was hidden. She wondered if Jack was there right now, watching them. She waved quickly at the building before turning back to her friends and the conversation between the Doctor and Mickey.

"There actually was police boxes?"

"Yeah, on street corners," the Doctor confirmed. Rose stepped away from them, staring at the building in wonder. The older Jack, she hadn't spoken to him since that day, and before that, the last time they'd talked was when he told her Jimmy had escaped.

"You okay?"

She smiled at her Jack. "Yeah, just thinking. You're in there right now. Or at least, I think you are."

"Right," he nodded. "This is where we came to get… me."

"Every time I've seen your older self since I've started over, it was in a crisis. I haven't gotten the chance to tell you... " she shook her head, her mind wandering back to the way it had hurt to look at him. "I'll tell you when we get there."

"You could always tell me now," he suggested.

"No," she told him. "No, because I know you. And I know that your guilt will drown out whatever comforting words I tell you right now."

He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her back toward where the Doctor and Mickey were beginning to argue. "Well, you can tell me whatever you need to, Rosie."

"I don't deserve you," she smiled softly, resting her head against him as they walked up to their friends again.

The group made their way to a nearby cafe sitting on the water. It was the same one they'd gone to before, and while Rose hadn't liked the food, she'd loved the company and especially the stories Jack told.

"And I mean _tusks_! And it's woken, and it's not happy," Jack told them, speaking animatedly.

"How could you not know it was there?" the Doctor questioned. Rose was laughing, throwing her head back as the story continued.

"Fifteen of us, _naked_ ," he continued, waving his hands about. "And I'm like, oh no, no, it's got nothing to do with me. And then it roars and we are running. Oh my god, we are running. And Brochavitch falls, so I turn to him and say-,"

"I knew we should've turned left," Mickey finished, bursting into laughter with the Doctor.

"That's my line!" Jack yelled, laughing brightly.

The Doctor stood abruptly and ripped a newspaper out of a man's hand, turning it to show them the front page story - a picture of Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer Slitheen with her hand up to cover her face.

"And I was having such a good day."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"According to intelligence, the target is the last known member of the Slitheen family, a criminal sec from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorius masquerading as a human being, zipped inside a skin suit," Jack told them as they entered the building. "Okay, plan of attack. We'll assume a basic fifty-seven, fifty-six strategy covering all available exits on the ground floor. Doctor, you go face to face, that'll designate exit one. I'll take exit two, Rose you three, Mickey Smith, exit four. Have you got that?"

The Doctor's side eye turned into a full on offended glare. "Excuse me. Who's in charge here?"

Jack raised an eyebrow and looked straight ahead of him. "Sorry. Awaiting orders, sir."

Appeased, the Doctor nodded firmly. "Right. Here's the plan… like he said, good plan."

Rose rolled her eyes at his need to be seen as in charge.

"Anything else?"

Jack gave him another raised eyebrow and lifted his phone up. "Present arms."

"Ready," the Doctor said.

"Ready," Rose echoed.

"Ready," Mickey called.

"Speed dial?" Jack asked.

"Yup."

"Ready."

"Check."

"See you in hell," Jack joked. The words hit a bad memory, and Rose was reminded of the Game Station when Jack had said goodbye to them. It had been hard then but now… she hadn't even known what happened to him, not really. The Doctor had said he'd stayed behind to help rebuild the earth, but they'd never seen him again and the Doctor didn't like talking about him. At the time, she'd assumed it was a jealousy thing, but now…

She couldn't help but wonder if he'd died before she could save him.

"Rose?"

She shook herself, pulling the phone to her ear. "Yeah?"

"You okay?"

She knew she couldn't lie to the Doctor - he obviously already knew something was wrong. "Just got lost in thought. I'll be fine."

Luckily, he let it drop and she focused on watching her exit. She was distracted by amusement coming from the Doctor and shook her head. He'd told her after the adventure had ended that he'd scared Blon into climbing out the window.

"Slitheen heading north," the Doctor told them. Rose nodded to herself and ran off to cut the woman off. "On my way!"

"Over and out," Jack muttered as he ran.

Rose came down the alleyway and caught sight of the woman and sped up. She was much faster than her first time around and managed to actually grab hold of Blon, tackling her to the ground.

The Doctor turned the corner first, hesitating at the sight for only a second before he grabbed the woman's arm as she tried to remove her earrings to teleport. Rose rolled off of her to lie on her back as she rubbed her side, which Blon had managed to slam her elbow into three times before the Doctor had gotten there.

"You okay?" he asked, helping her up.

"Fine," she waved off his concern. "We caught her."

"This is persecution," Blon accused as Jack and Mickey ran up to them. "Why can't you leave me alone? What did I ever do to you?"

"You tried to kill us and destroy this entire planet," the Doctor said in a matter of fact tone.

"Apart from that."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"So, you're a Slitheen. You're alone. You're trapped. Your family gets killed and you teleport out just in the nick of time. You have no means of escape, what do you do? You build a nuclear power station. But what for?"

"A philanthropic gesture," she claimed. "I've learned the error of my ways."

"And it just so happens to be right on top of the rift," the Doctor pointed out.

"What rift would that be?"

"A rift in space and time," Jack glared. "If this power station went into meltdown, the entire planet would be destroyed."

"This station is designed to explode," Rose told them. "Isn't it?"

"The minute it reaches capacity," the Doctor confirmed.

"Someone had to have noticed," Rose shook her head. "What happened to the people that noticed?"

"Why would she do that?" Mickey asked, confused. "A great big explosion, she'd only end up killing herself."

"She's got a name you know," Blon snapped.

"She's not even a she, she's a thing," Mickey shot back, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, but she's clever," the Doctor announced, flipping the diorama of the station upside down to look at it. "Fantastic."

"Is that a tribophysical waveform micro-connetic extrapolator?" Jack asked in amazement.

"Couldn't have put it better myself," the Doctor nodded. Jack grabbed it from him in excitement.

"Oh, genius!" He exclaimed. "You didn't build this."

"Doctor," Rose whispered, pointing at the wall with the name of the project.

"I have my hobbies," Blon said vaguely. "A little… tinkering."

"No, I mean you really didn't build this," Jack shook his head.

"I bet she stole it," Mickey accused.

"I see it," the Doctor muttered, walking toward the wall.

"It fell into my hands," Blon confirmed.

"What is it?" Mickey asked.

"It's transport," Jack told him. "You see, the reactor blows and the rift opens. Phenomenal cosmic disaster. But this thing shrouds you in a forcefield and you have this energy bubble so you're safe. Then you feed it coordinates, stand on top, and ride the concussion right out of the solar system."

"It's a surfboard!" Mickey realized.

"A pandimensional surfboard," Jack confirmed.

"And it would've worked," Blon complained. "I'd have surfed away from this dump and back to civilization."

"You'd blow up a whole planet just to get a lift?"

"Like stepping on an anthill."

"How'd you think of the name?" the Doctor asked.

"What? Blaidd drwg? It's Welsh."

"I know, but how did you think of it?" he asked again. Rose's nerves were mixing with his own, and the pair were extremely unsettled, though for different reasons.

"I chose it at random, I suppose. I don't know. Just sounded good," she explained. "Does it matter?"

The Doctor turned around and made eye contact with Rose. "Blaidd drwg."

"Bad Wolf," she breathed. Jack's eyes sharpened on her and she ignored him.

"Everywhere we go, two words," the Doctor told her.

"Satellite Five, I heard that. And Gwenyth, she said it. The end of the world…"

"Everywhere we go, following us," the Doctor shook his head before pausing. "Coincidence."

He wasn't nearly as convincing as the last time, and she assumed it had to do with the fact that she could feel his emotions and the way he was still so very unsettled by it. Still, she let it go. They had more important things to do.

"Margaret, we're going to take you home," the Doctor announced.

"Hold on," Jack interrupted. "Isn't that the easy option? Like letting her go?"

"We're going to Raxacoricofallapatorius," Rose laughed. The Doctor joined her.

"I can't believe you got it on your first try!"

"They have the death penalty."

Rose turned to stare at the woman, stepping forward to look her in the eye. "Whatever they do to you is on you. Us delivering you to them does not make us killers. You're the killer. You cannot guilt us while your _second_ plan to destroy the entire planet was just thwarted."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"This ship is impossible! Superb… how did you get the outside around the inside?"

The Doctor scoffed at her. "Like I'd give you the secret, yeah."

"I almost feel better about being defeated," she told him. "I never stood a chance. This is the technology of the gods."

"Don't worship me, I'd make a very bad god," the Doctor warned her. "You'd never get a day off, for starters." He glanced down at Jack. "How are we doing, big fella?"

"This extrapolator is top of the range," Jack replied, looking at Blon. "Where did you get it?"

"Oh, I don't know. Some air lock sale?"

"Must've been a great big heist. It's stacked with power."

"But we can use it for fuel?" the Doctor asked. Jack shook his head.

"It's not compatible, but it should knock off about twelve hours. We'll be ready to go by morning."

"Then we're stuck here overnight," the Doctor announced.

"I'm in no hurry," Blon muttered.

Rose made for the door, annoyed with the woman.

"Oi, where are you going?" the Doctor asked her.

"To see a friend," she replied.

He narrowed his eyes. "You can't just stop by whenever. The timelines are already so messed up."

"And one more visit isn't going to be the end of the world," she pointed out. "I won't be gone long and I'll be nearby if you need me."

"I don't like it."

A knock sounded on the door and she shrugged. "I'll be back in a bit, Doctor."

She rushed out of the TARDIS before he could yell at her, laughing as she slammed into Jack.

"Whoa, careful," he told her, grabbing her shoulders to steady her. She leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked to the street entrance of the secret building.

"Jack, can I ask you a question."

"Shoot."

"Do you regret meeting me?"

He turned to look down at her, confused. "Why would I ever?"

She shrugged. "You said something earlier today when we were going to find Blon. And you said the same thing in the Game Station… last time. And it just made me realize… I don't know what happened to you. I wanted to know but the Doctor just told me you'd stayed back to rebuild earth and society. I accepted it because a lot was happening, but now…"

"I do not regret meeting you," he assured her.

"Okay, another question," she leaned against his desk when they entered his office. "Why does it hurt to look at you?"

He hesitated. "I'm not sure if I can answer that, Rosie."

"Do you know how awful it is to be in pain every time I look at my best friend?" she asked with a frown. "Is it something I can fix?"

"No," he shrugged. "And I don't want you to anyway. You'll understand one day, I promise."

She sighed, accepting it. "When was the last time you saw me? Any version of me."

"When we went to save you," he told her carefully.

She considered her words carefully, unsure how to tell him what she was thinking. "Jack, everything with Jimmy… it's just so much. And I am so, so scared of him."

"I know," he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Rosie."

She raised her hand. "Let me finish. When you grabbed me to tell me he'd escaped, I was in shock. And very, very scared. I was not able to tell you that I don't blame you and that I love you, no matter what."

He stared at her for a long minute. "He attacked you and your older self both because I messed up. He killed you, Rose."

"And I still don't blame you."

" _How_?"

She paused. "Because… whatever reason he has to hate me so much, to feel this need to have me… dead, or be his… that's on him, not you. You protected me when you stopped him from killing me. That girl Suzie is the one that let him out. You told me as soon as you had the chance, and then when you heard that I was in danger, you didn't hesitate to try and help me. Nothing you've done has been out of anything but love. I know that."

He shook his head at her, a small smile gracing his lips. "You know this is why I fell in love with you, Rose Tyler. That big, beautiful heart of yours."

She let out a laugh. "Be careful, Ianto might hear you."

"Ah, Ianto hears me say stuff like that to you all the time," he waved off the concern. "He doesn't mind."

"Why's that?"

"Remember what you told me when we met? Someone already has your heart."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose slammed the door to the TARDIS open, her eyes settling on Jack. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he called back, dodging a falling book. "What's going on?"

"It's the rift," she told him, looking out the door for the Doctor. "It's opening!"

The Doctor sped past her to run to the console, Blon following quickly behind. "What the hell are you doing?"

"It just went crazy," Jack defended.

"It's the rift!"

"Yeah, that's what Rose said."

"Time and space are breaking apart," he continued, desperately attempting to put the open console back together. "The whole city's gonna disappear!"

"It's the extrapolator," Jack told them. "I've disconnected it but it's still feeding off the engine. It's using the TARDIS, I can't stop it!"

"Nevermind Cardiff, it's gonna rip open the whole planet," the Doctor told them.

"This is you!" Rose accused, glaring at Blon. The woman laughed and grabbed her with her large, green hand. The Doctor and Jack tried to run for her but Blon stopped them.

"One wrong move and she snaps like a promise," she sneered.

"I might've known," the Doctor stared, furious.

"I had you bleating all night, poor baby," she moved forward with Rose, her gaze turning to Jack. "You, fly boy. Put the extrapolator at my feet!"

Jack hesitated for only a moment before Blon visibly tightened her grip on Rose. With that threat, he didn't even bother checking with the Doctor before he did as the woman had asked.

"Thank you," Blon said calmly. "Just as I planned."

"How did you do this?" Rose gasped out, pulling at Blon's arm.

"Failing my nuclear power plant, if I were to be arrested, anyone who came to track me down would have superior technology of their own. Therefore, they would be captivated by the extrapolator," she turned to glare at the Doctor. "Especially a magpie mind like yours, Doctor… so the extrapolator was programmed to go to plan b… to lock onto the nearest alien power source and open the rift… and what a power source it found. I am back on schedule thanks to you."

"It's gonna convulse, you'll destroy the whole planet," Jack yelled.

"Then deal with it," she told him, pushing Rose to the side so that she could step onto the extrapolator. "While I ride the fire of the inferno all the way to freedom… stand back, boys. Surf's up."

The console opened up and Rose felt a familiar song take over, pushing her under while the Bad Wolf took charge of her body. Still, she did nothing, knowing that the problem would be solved without her. The golden glow flowing off of her was hidden from the Doctor with Blon standing in the way, though she knew Jack could see her clearly.

Blon stared into the heart of the TARDIS, her eyes wide. The Doctor relaxed just a little bit at the sight. "Of course, opening the rift means you'll pull the ship apart."

"So sue me."

"It's not just any old power source," the Doctor warned. "It's the TARDIS. My TARDIS, the best ship in the universe."

"It'll make wonderful scrap," Blon hissed.

"What's the light?" Jack asked.

"The heart of the TARDIS," the Doctor answered. "This ship's alive. You've opened it's soul."

"It's… so bright," Blon muttered, staring directly into the heart of the TARDIS.

"Look at it, Margaret," the Doctor told her. "Look inside, Blon Fel-Fotch. Look in the light."

Slowly, Blon released Rose from her grip. Still being overcome by Bad Wolf, Jack grabbed her gently and hid her face. Blon stared into the heart of the TARDIS before looking back up at the Doctor. "Thank you."

And then, she was gone. Her skin suit was empty again and she was just an egg on the floor. While the Doctor closed the TARDIS back up, Rose leaned against Jack as Bad Wolf receded back into her mind, leaving her to be her normal self again.

"Jack, shut it all down," the Doctor yelled. "Shut it down! Rose, help me out here!"

The group rushed around to turn everything off and stabilize the rift. Once that was done, they took a deep breath and relaxed.

"Nicely done, thank you," the Doctor said.

"What happened to her?" Rose wondered. "She's not dead, is she?"

"I don't think so," the Doctor agreed.

"Then where is she?" Jack asked.

"She looked into the heart of the TARDIS," the Doctor shrugged. "Even I don't know how strong that is." Rose and Jack shared a look as he spoke but neither said anything. "And she's telepathic, my TARDIS. Maybe the raw energy changed her."

The three leaned down next to the empty skin suit and the Doctor shifted it to find the egg of Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen.

"There she is!"

"She's an egg," Rose laughed.

"Regressed to her childhood," the Doctor nodded.

"She's an _egg_ ," Jack echoed.

"She can start again," the Doctor explained. "Live her life from scrap. We take her home, give her to a different family and tell them to bring her up properly, she might be alright."

"Or she might be _worse_ ," Jack pointed out.

"That's her choice," the Doctor said, his tone firm.

"She's an egg," Rose repeated, shaking her head.

"She's an egg."

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	19. Bad Wolf

**And… we're here.**

 **I also want to make it clear that for the last few chapters I've written, I've been sick. I have sick brain. I place full blame for any weirdness on my sick brain. I expect it'll last maybe a week longer, considering how long my fiance was sick for, so it might be a couple more chapters. We'll see.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **Bad Wolf**

"What is it?" the Doctor asked in a panic, getting to his feet. "What's happening?" He slammed through the door and promptly fell back down onto a rather fluffy carpet.

"Oh my god," a woman gasped, rushing over to him. "I don't believe it! They never said you were coming." She helped him up, holding onto him until he was steady again. As soon as he felt okay, he fell straight over again onto his face. "Oh, that's the transmat. Scrambles your head - I was sick for days. So… what's your name then, sweetheart?"

"The Doctor," he answered once he was standing again. "I was… I don't know what happened."

"You got chosen," the woman nodded.

"Chosen for what?"

"You're a housemate! You're in the house, isn't that brilliant?"

The Doctor looked around as a man and another woman began to complain, his colorful surroundings only serving to confuse him more.

"Will the Doctor please come to the diary room?" A robotic voice called. A door slid open and he found himself in a room with a large red chair, no less confused than before. "You are live on channel 44,000. Please do not swear."

"You have got to be kidding me."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"What happened?"

"It's alright," a familiar man said. "It's the transmat. Does your head in. Get a bit of amnesia. What's your name?"

"Rose Tyler," she answered, getting to her feet. Her gut twisted painfully. She wasn't ready for this. She wanted more, she needed more before… this.

"Just remember," he said. "Do what the android says. Don't provoke it. The android's word is the law."

"Yeah, thanks," she muttered, glancing past him. She was fairly confident in her ability to hold her own between her time at Torchwood in Pete's World and the things she'd learned with the Doctor since being back. Still, she was unsure what she should do. Not knowing the answers had kept her alive for quite a while the first time, but she also knew that if she got everything right, it ran the risk of getting someone else killed, and she also was unsure if her potentially not being sent to the Dalek ship would change things.

"Positions everyone, thank you!"

She followed him back to the stage where they'd spend the next half hour and spotted their names next to one another - Rose and Roderick. They took their places and she prepared herself for the questions she'd be given.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Doctor, they said all housemates must gather on the sofa," Lynda told him, looking worried. "You've got to."

"I'm busy getting out, thanks," the Doctor replied, fiddling with the sonic. Really he was focusing on his bond with Rose, but all he felt from her was a sort of resigned horror. It didn't help his nerves much.

"But if you don't obey then all the housemates get punished," she pointed out.

He lowered the sonic and made his way to the couch. "Well, maybe I'll be voted out then."

"How stupid are you? You've only just joined - you're not eligible," Strood sneered.

"Don't try anything clever or we all get it in the neck," Lynda warned him.

"Big Brother house, this is Davinadroid. Crosbie, Lynda, and Strood, you have all been nominated for eviction," the voice called. The three held hands nervously as the Doctor watched, confused by their seriousness. "And the eighth person to be evicted is… Crosbie!"

"I'm sorry," Lynda gasped, leaning over to hug the girl. "I'm sorry!"

"It should've been me," Strood said, although he didn't look too apologetic. "That's not fair, Crosbie."

"Crosbie, you have ten seconds to make your farewells, and then we're gonna get you!"

The group moved to the door, talking the whole way. Finally, the Doctor heard the door open.

"Crosbie, please leave the Big Brother house."

"By then," Crosbie whispered. "Bye, Lynda."

She made her way out and the door closed, locking her into the small hallway.

"I don't believe it, Crosbie," Lynda whispered, crying quietly. The Doctor leaned up, tired of the dramatics.

"It's only a game show, she'll make a fortune on the outside! Sell her story, release a record, fitness video, all of that. She'll be laughing."

"What do you mean on the outside?" Lynda asked, horrified. The screen turned on again, this time showing the girl standing between the white walls.

"Here we go," Strood muttered, rushing back to the couch. They sat and waited, the Doctor growing more confused and impatient by the second.

"Well, what are they waiting for? Why don't they just let her go?"

"Stop it," Lynda scolded. "It's not funny."

"Eviction in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."

And with that, a white beam shot into Crosbie. She disintegrated before their eyes.

"What was that?" the Doctor asked with a frown.

"Disintegrator beam," Strood answered. The Doctor looked at him in horror.

"She's been evicted," Lynda told him. "From life."

The Doctor shot to his feet, turning in circles as he processed. "Are you insane? You just step right into the disintegrator? Is it that important, getting your face on the telly? Is it worth dying for?"

"You're talking like we've got a choice," Lynda yelled back, getting to her feet now as well.

"I thought you had to apply," he blinked.

"Don't be so stupid," Strood snarled. "That's how they played it centuries back."

"You get chosen whether you like it or not," Lynda clarified. "Everyone on earth is a potential contestant. The transmat beam picks you out at random. And it's nonstop, there are sixty Big Brother houses running all at once."

"How many? Sixty?" the Doctor asked, eyes wide.

"They've had to cut back," Strood shook his head. "It's not what it was."

"It's a charnel house!" the Doctor screamed angrily. "What about the winners? What do they get?"

"They get to live," Lynda nodded.

"Is that it?"

"Well, isn't that enough?"

The Doctor felt a pulse of fear through the bond and shook himself, pushing past them toward the door. "Rose is out there. She got caught in the transmat, she's a contestant. Time I got out… That other contestant, Linda with an 'i' she was evicted for what?"

"Damage to property," Lynda replied.

"What, like this?" The Doctor aimed his sonic at a camera making it spark as he broke it.

"Doctor, you've broken the house rules. Big Brother has no choice but to evict you. You have ten seconds to make your farewells and then we're gonna get you!"

The Doctor threw his arms up in victory, smiling at Lynda before he jumped up and ran back to the door. "That's more like it! Come on then, open up!"

"You're mad, it's like you wanna die!" Lynda accused.

"I reckon he's a plant, he was only brought in to stir things up," Strood reasoned.

"Doctor, please leave the Big Brother house."

He did as they said and spent a solid ten seconds antagonizing the ceiling, begging to be killed. The countdown sounded and nothing happened, just as he'd expected.

"I knew it! Someone brought me into this game. If they wanted me dead, they could've transmatted me into a volcano… maybe security isn't as tight this end." He pressed his sonic to the door and found that it opened easily. "You following this? I'm getting out!"

Both doors opened and the Doctor turned around to look at Lynda. "Come with me."

"We're not allowed, I can't."

"Right," he shrugged impatiently. "Well, I've got to go. My friend is in danger."

"Good luck!"

"And good luck to you, Lynda with a 'y!'"

With that, he stepped through the door and closed it behind him, taking a look around. "Hold on… I've been here before. This is Satellite Five!"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose flinched as the last person aside from her and Roderick was disintegrated. His scream rang in her ear and she couldn't help but feel like maybe it was her fault. She'd been playing to win after a battle with herself, but even with her extensive knowledge - all the knowledge beyond a normal 21st-century human - she was certain she wouldn't win.

"That leaves Rose and Roderick. You're going head to head. Let's play the Weakest Link!"

"Right," Roderick looked at her. "That's the end of tactical voting."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Found her! Floor 407!"

"Let's go," Jack nodded. The two made their way to the elevators and shared an extremely impatient ride. The doors opened and they ran as fast as they could to game room six. The Doctor felt an odd acceptance from Rose and panicked in return. They could hear the game ending and he knew she'd lost.

He slammed the door open and ran as fast as he could, catching sight of her. She just smiled at him, though he could see how nervous she was.

"It's okay," she called over the sound of the Anne Droid. "I'll be okay."

"No, no you won't!" He yelled. "Rose, run!"

It was too late, though, and they watched in horror as she was hit with the same beam as the others and disappeared.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It took truthfully very little effort for the Doctor and Jack to escape from the small prison they'd been taken to, and when they had, they grabbed guns and marched to the elevator, pressing the button for floor 500. When the doors opened, they pointed the guns at the workers.

"Okay, move away from the desk," Jack instructed. "Nobody try anything clever. Everybody clear. Stand to the side and stay there."

The Doctor pointed his gun at the Controller, the Oncoming Storm taking over. Of course, he knew Rose was alive, he could still feel her, but he still didn't know where she was or how much trouble she was in. "Who's in charge of this place? This Satellite is more than a game station. Where is Rose Tyler?"

The Controller continued her quiet conversation with herself, not looking at the Doctor.

"I want an answer!"

"She can't reply," a man nearby said. The Doctor spun around and he backed up a little. "Don't shoot!"

"Oh, don't be so thick," the Doctor tossed the gun at the man. "Like I was ever gonna shoot. Captain, we've got more guards on the way up. Secure the exits."

"Yes, sir!"

"You," the Doctor turned back to the man that was now holding his gun. "What were you saying?"

"But… I've got your gun."

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, so shoot me. Why can't she answer?"

"She's, um," he looked between the gun and the Doctor. "Can I put this down?"

"If you want, just hurry up."

"Thanks," he set it on a chair before turning back to the Doctor. "Sorry, um. The Controller is linked into the transmissions. The entire output goes through her brain. You're not a member of staff, so she doesn't recognize your existence."

"What's her name?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "She was installed when she was five. It's the only life she's ever known."

"Doors sealed. We should be safe for about ten minutes," Jack told the Doctor.

"Keep an eye on them!"

"But that stuff you were saying about stuff going on at the Game Station… I think you're right. I've kept a log. Unauthorized transmats, encrypted signals, it's been going on for years."

"Show me."

"You're not allowed in there!" The woman standing next to the somewhat helpful man yelled at Jack. "Archive six is out of bounds!"

"Do I look like an out of bounds kind of guy?" Jack asked with an eyebrow raised. He made his way into the room while the Doctor stayed behind.

"Solar flare activity in Delta .015," the Controller called out, louder than her usual mumbling.

"If you're not holding us hostage, then let us out," the woman demanded. "The staff are terrified."

"That's the same staff who execute hundreds of contestants every day?" the Doctor asked, not feeling particularly sorry.

"That's not our fault. We're just doing our jobs," she defended.

"And with that sentence, you just lost the right to even talk to me, now back off!"

The screens turned to static and the Doctor looked around, confused.

"That's just the solar flares," the man from before said. "They interfere with the broadcast signal so this place automatically powers down. Planet earth gets a few repeats. It's all quite normal."

"Doctor," the Controller whispered.

"Doctor," the woman said.

"Whatever it is, you can wait," he replied sharply, not interested in talking to her again.

"I think she wants you," she told him. He turned around to look at the Controller to find that she was definitely saying his name.

"Doctor. Doctor, where's the Doctor?"

"I'm here!" he told her, running in front of her.

"Can't see. Blind, so blind," she told him. She sounded panicked although her face remined the same lost expression. "All my life blind, all I can see is numbers. But I saw you."

"What do you want?"

"Solar flares hiding me, they can't hear me. My Masters listen but they can't hear me now. The sun is so bright."

The Doctor frowned. He was finally getting somewhere. "Who are your masters?"

"They wired my head, the name's forbidden. They control my thoughts. My Masters. I had to be careful. They monitor transmissions but they don't watch the programmes," she explained, and he realized who had brought them there finally. "I could hide you in the games. I knew that you'd find me."

"My friend is lost," he told her. "Where is she?"

"Doesn't matter," she shook her head.

"Don't you dare tell me that!" he snapped.

"They've been hiding. My Masters, hiding in the dark space. Watching and shaping the earth, so many years," she explained. She sounded scared, and he didn't blame her. Whatever was going on seemed larger than he'd thought, though that could've been guessed by the Bad Wolf corperation. "Always been there, guiding humanity. Hundreds and hundreds of years."

"Who are they?"

"They wait and plan and grow in numbers. They're strong now. So strong, my Masters."

"Who are they?" the Doctor repeated, irritated.

"But they speak of you, my Masters," she looked down now, and he wondered if she could see him. "They fear the Doctor."

"Tell me, who are they?" he snapped, stepping forward. It was too late though, and she tensed, her head rolling back as the solar flare ended and the screens came back online. He turned around to the workers. "When is the next solar flare?"

"Two years' time," the man answered.

"Fat lot of good that is!"

"Found the TARDIS," Jack shouted, rushing back into the room.

"We're not leaving now."

"No," Jack agreed. "But the TARDIS worked it out. You'll wanna watch this." The Doctor turned around as Jack pulled the man out of his chair and waved him to a spot between the computers. "Everybody watching?"

"What is this?" the man asked nervously, though he didn't move.

"Okay, three, two, one…" Jack pressed a button and the Doctor watched as the beam hit the man. The Doctor winced as a pile of dust was left behind. "And now…" he pressed another button, bringing him back to the station. The Doctor nodded, and Jack stared. "Don't you get it? Rose is still alive!"

"Yeah, I know."

"You _know_?"

He tapped his head.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jack yelled, furious.

"Well, you didn't ask!" he shouted back. "Now, can you use that to track her?"

"I think so."

"Doctor!" the Controller yelled. "Coordinates 5.6.1."

"Don't," he interrupted. "The solar flare's gone, they'll hear you!

"-434. No, my Masters, no! I defy you!" She screamed as if she were in pain. "Sigma 77-,"

She was cut off by another scream and the Doctor looked up to see her be teleported out. With no time to process the loss, he continued on. The man that had been helping him so far gave him some numbers to try, guessing them from the unscheduled transmissions and transmats. Which, of course, prompted Jack to flirt.

"Thanks. Captain Jack Harkness, by the way," he said with his usual grin.

"I'm Davitch Pavale," he said, finally giving them his name.

"Nice to meet you, Davitch Pavale," Jack replied.

"There's a time and a place," the Doctor narrowed his eyes at his friend.

"Are you saying this whole setup's been a disguise all along?"

"Going way back," the Doctor confirmed. "Installing the Jagrafess a hundred years ago. Someone's been playing a long game. Controlling the human race from behind the scenes for generations."

"Click on this," Jack said, handing the Doctor a remote control of some kind. He did as he was told and a screen shifted to show a specific part of space, assumedly the one they were looking for. "The transmat delivers to that point, right on the edge of the solar system."

"There's nothing there," the woman said.

"It looks like nothing because that's what this Satellite does!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Underneath the transmission there's another signal."

"Doing what?" Davitch asked him.

"Hiding whatever's out there," he answered. "Hiding it from sonar, radar, scanners. There's something sitting right on top of planet earth but it's completely invisible. If I cancel the signal…" he pressed a few buttons before looking up, when he froze. A ship had appeared, sure enough, and the sight made him sick.

"That's impossible," Jack whispered. "I know those ships. They were destroyed."

"Obviously they survived," the Doctor breathed.

"Who did?" the woman asked. "Who are they?"

"Two hundred ships. More than two thousand on board each one… that's just about half a million of them."

"Half a million what?" Davitch questioned, getting nervous.

"Daleks."

The screen changed to video of the Daleks. Standing between two Daleks was Rose, looking fierce and unaffected. He sighed in relief at the sight. He'd logically known she was okay, but seeing was believing.

"I will talk to the Doctor," a Dalek announced.

"Oh, will you? That's nice. Hello." He waved slightly, a masking smile on his lips.

"The Dalek Stratagem nears completion. The Fleet is almost ready. You will not intervene."

The smile slipped, a cold, dark look replacing it. "Oh, really? Why's that, then?"

"We have your bond mate," they declared proudly. "You will obey or she will be exterminated."

He stared at the defiant look on her face and took a deep breath. "No."

"Explain yourself," they demanded.

"I said, no," he repeated.

"What is the meaning of this negative?" they asked, lost. He relished in stumping them, but he had to focus. Rose could regenerate, sure, but he knew they had powerful enough weapons to stop regenerations in their tracks, kill her before she could regenerate.

"It means no," he told them firmly.

"But she will be destroyed!"

"No!" he shouted at the screen. "Cause this is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna rescue her. I'm gonna save Rose Tyler from the middle of the Dalek Fleet. And then, I'm gonna save earth. And _then_ , just to finish off, I'm gonna wipe every last stinking Dalek out of the sky!"

"But you have no weapons! No defences! No plan!"

"Yeah," he agreed easily. "And doesn't that scare you to death? Rose?"

"Yeah?" she smiled - actually smiled - at him, ignoring the Daleks by her side.

"I'm coming to get you," he promised. With that, he pointed his sonic at the screen and switched it off, ready to save Rose.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	20. The Parting Of Ways

**The Parting Of Ways**

"You know the Doctor. You are his bond mate, you understand him. You will predict his actions."

Rose stared down the Dalek, surprisingly calm. "I'm not sure if you've met him, but he's rather good at being unpredictable, even to me."

"Predict! Predict! Predict!"

Another Dalek rolled over to the one moving toward Rose. "TARDIS detected in flight."

"Launch missiles! Exterminate!"

Rose winced as she stayed silent. She knew they'd make it to her okay. She had to hope so, at least. She knew the extrapolaor would protect them from the missiles, but it was still painful to watch them explode. Her fears faded as she heard the TARDIS materializing around her. Well, her and the Dalek next to her.

She ducked before the Doctor even warned her and rolled to the side so that Jack could take his shot. The beam from his gun hit the Dalek and killed it quickly, much to everyone's relief. She jumped up and rushed to the Doctor, who grabbed her in a tight hug. She touched the back of his neck, sending comfort over the bond.

 _I'm okay._

 _I knew you would be._

"Don't I get a hug?" Jack asked as the pair separated. She grinned.

"Oh, come here."

"Oh, I was talking to him," he joked, nodding at the Doctor. He wrapped her up in a hug. "Welcome home."

"I was so worried."

"Ah, that was a one-shot wonder," he warned her. "Drained the gun of all its power supply. It's just a piece of junk now."

Rose turned to the Doctor. "How can they be alive?"

"One minute they're the greatest threat in the universe, the next minute they've vanished out of time and space," Jack nodded, looking at the Dalek with the Doctor.

"They went off to fight a bigger war," the Doctor muttered.

"The Time War," Rose told Jack.

"I thought that was just a legend," he blinked.

"I was there," the Doctor shook his head. "The war between the Daleks and the Time Lords, the whole of creation at stake. Our people were destroyed but they took the Daleks with them… I almost thought it was worth it. Now it turns out they died for nothing."

"How are we going to stop them?" Rose asked him. The Doctor was quiet for a long moment as he stared at the dead Dalek in front of him.

"No good stood round here chinwagging. Human race, you'd gossip all day," the Doctor accused.

"I'm not human," Rose reminded him.

"Yeah, but you were for nineteen years, so I think you count," he shot back. "The Daleks have got the answers. Let's go meet the neighbors!"

He ran out the door with Jack and Rose following behind him and stopped short just in front of the TARDIS. All the Daleks gathered around the ship tried to kill them at once, confused when it didn't work.

"Is that it?" he asked them. "Useless. Nul points!"

"You used the extrapolator to-,"

"To make a forcefield," Jack nodded.

"Do you know what they call me in the ancient legends of the Dalek homeworld?" the Doctor questioned the Daleks. "The Oncoming Storm. You might have removed all your emotions, but I reckon right down deep in your DNA, there's one little spark left. And that's fear. Doesn't it just burn when you face me?" He paused, watching their non-reaction. "So tell me, how did you survive the Time War?"

"They survived through me," the Emperor said, gathering their attention. The Doctor stepped forward, staring up at it.

"Rose, Captain," he said softly, horror pulsing through him. "This is the Emperor of the Daleks."

"You destroyed us, Doctor," the Emperor told him. "The Dalek race died in your inferno. But my ship survived, falling through time. Crippled, but alive."

"I get it," he started.

"Do not interrupt!" a nearby Dalek screamed. The others followed suit, and the Doctor turned to stare at them in surprise.

"I think you're forgetting something," he tilted his head. "I'm the Doctor, and if there's one thing I can do, it's talk. I've got five billion languages and you haven't got one way of stopping me. So if anybody's going to shut up, it's you!" The Daleks backed up some when he turned to yell at them suddenly. "Okie-Doke. So, where were we?"

"We waited here, in the dark space. Damaged but rebuilding. Centuries passed and we quietly infiltrated the systems of earth, harvesting the waste of humanity. The prisoners, the refugees, the dispossessed, they all came to us. The bodies were filleted, pulped, sifted. The seed of the human race is perverted. Only one cell in a billion was fit to be nurtured."

"So you created an army of Daleks out of the dead."

"So they're half human," Rose pointed out. "They must hate that."

"Those words are blasphemy!" the Emperor declared.

"Do not blaspheme!" the other Daleks chanted angrily.

"Everything human has been purged," the Emperor promised. "I cultivated pure and blessed Dalek."

The Doctor turned in a circle looking at the Daleks around him, horrified. "Since when do Daleks have a concept of blasphemy?"

"I reached into the dirt and made new life," the Emperor told him lowly. "I am the god of all Daleks!"

"Worship him! Worship him!" the other Daleks yelled.

"They're insane," the Doctor announced, staring at them, his brow furrowed. "Hiding in silence for hundreds of years, that's enough to drive anyone mad. But it's worse than that. Driven mad by your own flesh. The stink of humanity… you hate your own existence. And that makes them more deadly than ever." He turned back to the Emperor. "We're going!"

"You may not leave my presence!" the crazed Dalek Emperor informed him.

"Stay where you are! Exterminate!"

They ignored the screaming Daleks and rushed back into the TARDIS. While the Doctor stood at the door, trying to process his feelings, Rose took them back to the Game Station, landing the TARDIS at the front of the room on floor 500. Once they were there, he raced out of the ship.

"Turn everything up! All transmitters, full power, wide open. Now! Do it!" he yelled at them.

"What does this do?" Davitch asked as he did what the Doctor said.

"Stops the Daleks from transmatting on board. How do you get on? Did you contact earth?"

"I tried to warn them but all they did was suspend our license because we stopped the programmes," Davitch shook his head.

"And the planet's just sitting there, defenseless," the Doctor realized.

"We've got about a hundred people stranded on floor zero," the woman told him. "There weren't enough shuttles."

"Oh my god, the Fleet is moving," Davitch gasped. "They're on their way!"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Dalek plan, big mistake," the Doctor muttered, messing with the wiring of the computers. "Cause what've they left me with? Anyone? Anyone? Come on, it's obvious! A great big transmitter. This station. If I can change the signal, fold it back, sequence it? Anyone?"

"You've got to be kidding," Jack shook his head.

"Give the man a medal!"

"A delta wave?" he crossed his arms.

"A delta wave!"

"You told me about this," Rose frowned. "Oh, I can't remember."

"A delta wave is a wave of Van Cassadyne energy," Jack explained.

"That'll fry their brains," she realized.

"And this place can transmit a massive wave. Wipe out the Daleks!" the Doctor agreed. "Trouble is, wave this size, building this size, brain as clever as mine should take about three days. How long till the fleet arrive?"

"Twenty-two minutes."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"We've got a forcefield so they can't blast us out of the sky," Jack muttered. "But it doesn't stop the Daleks from physically invading."

"Do they know about the delta wave?" Davitch asked him.

"They'll have figured it out at the same time," Jack guessed. "So, they want to stop the Doctor. That means they've got to get to this level, 500. Now, I can concentrate the extrapolator on the top six levels, 500 to 495. So they'll penetrate the station below that at level 494 and fight their way up."

"Who are they fighting?"

"Us."

"What are we fighting with?"

"The guards had guns with basic bullets. That's enough to blow a Dalek right open," he lied easily. Rose turned away, unable to look at their hopeful faces.

"There's four of us," the woman pointed out.

"Rose, you can help me," the Doctor cut in, unwilling to let her go fight Daleks. "I need all these wires stripping bare."

"Right, now there's three of us."

"Then let's move it!" Jack instructed. "Into the lift, isolate the lift controls."

The two rushed off to do that and Jack moved over to the Doctor and Rose, who were talking quietly as the Doctor told her what he was doing. He stopped between them, his heart heavy. He wasn't sure what his death would do to the timelines but he also knew there was no way he'd survive the Daleks.

"It's been fun," he smiled at them. "But I guess this is goodbye."

"I will see you again," Rose told him firmly.

"Rose." He grabbed her face gently with both of his hands and looked into her golden eyes. "You are worth fighting for." He pulled her forward and kissed her lips lightly. The way he loved her hurt, and he knew he wouldn't regret his decision. After that, he turned to the Doctor, pointing at him accusingly.

"Wish I'd never met you, Doctor," he laughed. He loved the Doctor as well, and it ached inside of him that he was leaving the two. He was certain that even if he did survive, he'd never love anyone the way he loved them. He grabbed the Doctor's face now as well, looking at him seriously. "I was much better off as a coward." He pressed his lips to the Doctor's and then patted them both on the shoulder, unable to look them in the eyes anymore.

"See you in hell."

And then he left.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"If only we could go back a week ago and start this then," Rose sighed as she stripped the wire and fed it slowly to the Doctor.

"Yeah, but we can't. Once we land, we're a part of established events. We can't change it."

"Yeah, I know," she shook her head. They fell back into the nervous silence as before, and Rose's mind wandered. Too much was uncertain and she wasn't sure how things were going to go.

"We could leave."

She looked up, surprised. "What?"

"Let history take its course," he told her, not looking up from what he was doing. "We go to Marbella in 1989."

"Yeah, but we can't," she shook her head. "We've gotta fix this, Doctor. You'd never do that, Doctor."

"No, but you could ask. Never even occurred to you, did it?"

She shrugged. "I don't want to run away from the people that need our help."

"The delta wave has started building," the Doctor told her after a minute. "How long does it need?" The pair jumped up and ran to the computers to check. She watched his face fall and knew what was about to happen.

"Not good?"

He shot out of his chair excitedly, and she saw through the mask easily. It pained her not to say anything, though she knew she couldn't. "Rose Tyler, you're a genius! We can do it!"

She smiled as if she didn't know what he was going to do.

"If I use the TARDIS to cross my own timeline… yes!" They rushed into the TARDIS and he ran around the console, flipping switches and pressing buttons. "We haven't traveled like this before, it's quite different. Hold that down and keep position. If I'm clever - and I'm more than clever, I'm brilliant - I might just save the world. Or rip it apart."

"I'd go for the first one," Rose suggested.

"Me too," he nodded. "Now, I've just got to go and power up the Game Station. Hold on!"

She watched him rush from the TARDIS and held onto the knob he'd told her to grab. The TARDIS began dematerializing, and as she'd done the first time, she ran to the door and pounded on it, begging to be let out. Before too long, the time rotor stopped and she took a deep breath.

She was back on earth in her time.

"This is Emergency Programme One. Rose, now listen, this is important. If this message is activated, then it can only mean one thing. We must be in danger. And I mean fatal. I'm dead, or about to be any second with no chance of escape. And that's okay. Hope it's a good death. But I promised to look after you and that's what I'm doing. The TARDIS is taking you home. And I bet you're fussing and moaning now. Typical. But hold on and just listen a bit more.

"The TARDIS can never return for me. Emergency Programme One means I'm facing an enemy that should never get their hands on this machine. So this is what you should do. Let the TARDIS die. I've turned off power to the console so that if anyone breaks in, they can't mess anything up, and so you can't come after me. Just let this old box gather dust. Let it become a strange little thing standing on a street corner. And over the years, the world will move on and the box will be buried. And if you want to remember me, then you can do one thing. That's all. One thing… have a good life. Do that for me, Rose. Have a fantastic life."

With that, the hologram faded away. Rose couldn't help but let a few tears fall. She knew she'd get him back - she had to - but it still hurt.

As she left the TARDIS, Mickey ran up to her, out of breath. "I knew it. I was all the way down Clifton Parade and I heard the engines. I thought there's only one thing that makes a noise like that."

"He's gone," she told him. "He sent me away, Mickey, he's left me."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Tell him the truth, Doctor," the Emperor said, the screen turning on to show him. "There is every possibility the delta wave could be complete, but no possibility of refining it. The delta wave must kill every living thing in its path with no distinction between human and Dalek. All things will die by your hand."

"Doctor, the range of this transmitter covers the entire earth," Jack warned.

"You would destroy Daleks and humans together," the Emperor announced. "If I am God, the creator of all things, then what does that make you, Doctor?"

"There are colonies out there," he defended weakly. "The human race would survive in some shape or form, but you're the only Daleks in existence. The whole universe is in danger if I let you live. Do you see, Jack? That's the decision I've got to make for every living thing. Die as a human or live as a Dalek. What would you do?"

"You sent her home," Jack whispered. "She's safe. Keep working."

"But he will exterminate you!"

"Never doubted him, never will."

The Doctor got to his feet, smiling now. "Now you tell me, God of all Daleks, cause there's one thing I never worked out. The words, Bad Wolf. Spread across time and space, everywhere, drawing me in. How did you manage that?"

"I did nothing," the Emperor sounded bored.

"Come on, there's no secrets now, Your Worship."

"They are not part of my design," he insisted. "This is the truth of God."

The Doctor stared up at the words on the wall, large and imposing and very much following him. If it wasn't the Daleks, then who?

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"I can't," Rose stared at them. They'd gone back to Jackie's flat to pick her up, and Rose stood staring at the cat flap that still wasn't nailed down. "I can't do this. I have to get back to him."

"Couldn't you stay?" Jackie complained. "He'll be fine, he's all alien."

"But so am I," she turned to look at her mother. "Mum, you don't get it. I've not only got two hearts now. I'm going to live for a very long time. I'm going to outlive you and everyone I know. When I die, I'll become another person. A different body, different habits, just the same memory. And I don't know how to do that without the Doctor."

"But you said it's dangerous."

"And I know how to fix it," she promised. "But I have to get the grating on the TARDIS open, and that's hard. Please, I need your help."

Jackie exchanged a look with Mickey. "Just tell me what you need, love."

"I need a very large truck."

Jackie called in her favor and met the two at the TARDIS with plenty of grumbling. Mickey grabbed the chain from his trunk and ran over, hooking it up.

"You've only got this until six, so get on with it," Jackie told them, tossing over the keys.

Rose stood inside while Mickey worked to rip the console apart. After a long couple of minutes, the console popped open and the chain was torn out of the TARDIS as the truck lurched forward. The TARDIS doors slammed shut as Rose stared into the heart of the TARDIS once more. She could feel the song of the TARDIS in her heart as she was filled with the same energy as before.

"Rose," a voice called. She looked around to find herself standing across from her. "It is different this time. You must understand that. The Bad Wolf cannot be suppressed any longer. We are here to stay."

"I don't care," Rose answered. "I want to save the Doctor."

"You will become something different," she continued. "We will be more connected. Your power will know no end but will come at a price."

"Please!" She begged. "Let me save him."

"Always."

The girl disappeared and she used the power she felt rushing through her to bring the TARDIS back to the Game Station. She opened the doors with a wave of her hand, the golden light flowing off of her like water. She could see the Doctor, shielding his eyes from the sudden bright light. With the golden power spreading throughout the room, she stepped forward.

"What have you done?" he yelled.

"What I was always meant to do. I looked into the heart of the TARDIS. I became one with the Bad Wolf," she answered. She was more aware of what she was doing than the last time as if she was truly controlling it now.

"You looked into the time vortex," the Doctor realized. "Rose, no one's meant to see that."

"I will be okay," she promised. She knew what was coming- she could see it.

"This is the Abomination!" the Emperor yelled. Her head shot up to look at the Daleks trying to kill her, and she stopped the beams with her hand.

"I am the Bad Wolf," she told the Doctor. "I will always create myself. I spread the words across the universe. I scattered them in time and space, always to lead me back here."

"Rose, you've got to stop this! You've got to stop this now! You've got the entire vortex running through your head. You're gonna burn!"

"I'm keeping you safe," she explained. "My Doctor. Protected from the false god."

"You cannot hurt me! I am immortal!" The Emperor claimed.

She looked up angrily. "You are tiny. I can see the whole of time and space. Every single atom of your existence and I divide them." She raised her hand at the Daleks, feeling no remorse for killing them. They began to break apart into the air and she kept going until there was nothing left.

"Rose, you've done it, now stop," the Doctor begged. "Just let go!"

She closed her eyes and she could see Jack, lying on the ground, dead. "I bring life." She watched as he gasped, waking up as if he'd only taken a nap.

"But this is wrong! You can't control life and death!"

"But I can," she looked down at him. "Nothing is out of my reach, my Doctor… but it hurts."

"The power's gonna kill you. And it's my fault!"

"Please," she shook her head. "I just wanted you safe… my head."

He stood now, taking a step toward her. "Come here."

"It's killing me," she muttered.

"I think you need a Doctor," he suggested, pulling her into his arms. He kissed her gently, and she felt him pull the excess power out of her. As much as she wished it wasn't enough to kill him, she knew it was. And she felt her mind continue to break down, she felt the power continue to attack her. The Doctor pulled away and laid her on the ground, and she only twitched, unable to move or speak as the power killed her slowly.

She knew what she had to do. She pulled at that string inside of her like an itch that had to be scratched and yanked until it released. A different sort of golden energy exploded from her, and she screamed in pain as she felt every part of her body change, dying and shifting into something new, a new person. And as abruptly as it had begun, it ended. The energy flew back into her to heal the rest of her, and she shot up, coughing.

"Rose," the Doctor called her name. She looked around, confused. At some point, he'd moved her into the TARDIS, and she'd either been placed on the floor or she'd fallen. She blinked, looking at the Doctor.

"Doctor," she said. She gasped at the sound of her voice. Her accent was… American? "Oh, I sound weird."

"You weren't supposed to die," he muttered. She got to her feet carefully, leaning heavily on the console.

"I knew I would," she waved him off. "It's okay."

"I don't have long," he frowned at her. "Do you want to go to Barcelona?"

She let out a laugh. "I'd love to, Doctor. And you know what?"

"What's that?"

"I think this new Doctor is going to be just as amazing as you are," she smiled softly at him.

"I hope so," he chuckled. "Could do with a bit smaller ears, though."

"Doctor, stop holding back," she requested softly. He looked her in the eyes, shaking his head. "Ah… can we land somewhere first? It feels a bit dangerous to me to regenerate while flying the TARDIS."

"Good point," he nodded, placing them in empty space. "Never know what's going to happen, what you'll end up with."

"You should get to the zero room," she advised.

"So should you," he agreed. So far, it had gone much smoother than the first time, Rose noted as they stumbled to the room they were looking for, which the TARDIS had placed nearby. Once inside, Rose started pacing while waiting for him to regenerate.

"Doctor, I've got a question."

"Shoot."

"How many times have you regenerated?"

He tilted his head, considering the question. "This would be my ninth body."

Before she could reply, the Doctor grunted, arching his back as, very suddenly, he was overcome with regeneration energy and he changed.

Rose watched in amazement as the zero room circled the energy only around the Doctor, gently pushing it back into him. Within seconds, the entire process was over and she found herself staring at her Doctor, the one she'd lost and the one she'd tried so hard to get back.

It took everything in her not to jump at him. She'd missed him so much. She'd seen him, of course, on Marial, but it hadn't felt right. He was darker, sadder. Desperate. This Doctor was new, ready for the adventures ahead of them.

"Oh," he gasped, staring with his eyes wide. "Oh, this is new. My… liver."

Rose let out a laugh. "You can feel your liver?"

"You can't?"

"How do you feel?" she asked cautiously. She wasn't sure what the zero room would do to help regeneration sickness.

"Fine," he shook his head. "I never use this room. I always forget."

"I feel okay," she agreed. "I figured I'd be… I don't know."

"The zero room pulls out the dangerous regeneration energy," he explained. "Clears your mind, helps you focus. If you don't regenerate in it, you can get sick."

"But… we're okay."

He stared at her for a long moment. "Rose, do you remember what happened?"

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean do you remember how we defeated the Daleks?"

"Yeah, of course. Bad Wolf."

He sighed, staring at her as if she were a puzzle to solve. "But it's gone now." It was less of a question and more a statement of hope. She understood. What she'd done was dangerous, it had killed both of them and she knew he was worried it'd continue to hurt her.

"No," she disagreed. "She's still there. If I need to, I feel like I could access her. She's a part of me now."

"But if you did, it would kill you."

"I don't think so. I think what killed me was all of the extra energy, all of the stuff I didn't need. I don't think it's necessarily as dangerous now."

He looked like he had something else to say but instead, he pulled at his hair. "How do I look?"

"Um," she tilted her head. "Very brown. I'm not sure the leather suits you anymore."

"Brown," he stared at her. "Helpful."

"Well, how do I look?"

"Your hair is black," he told her. "But you can probably see that."

She looked down and grabbed a piece of her long, wavy hair. "Oh."

"Shall we find some mirrors?"

She looked up. "Are we okay to leave?"

"Oh, yeah. This place works miracles."

The pair found their way to the kitchen, where they looked in the small mirror on the wall. The Doctor was shocked at the sight of himself, all brown and… pretty.

Rose stared. Her face was thinner, though she had a strong jaw and cheekbones and higher eyebrows. Her eyes, to her surprise, were different. They were green now, but she could see a thin golden line circling them, reminding her of what she possessed. The rest of her body somewhat mirrored her face. Thin, but strong. To her strong annoyance, she also found herself shorter than before. She'd been a comfortable 5'5, and now she looked closer to 5'2.

"I'm short!"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "You were short before, too."

She smacked his arm. " _Shorter_."

"I'm going to go and find some clothes," he told her, ignoring her indignant look. "You're right, this jacket isn't quite right anymore."

"I'm going to change too," she decided, following after him to the wardrobe room. Once there, the Doctor went to the left while she veered off to the right, staring at the large room, overwhelmed.

She sifted through dresses and shorts and even some suits before she came along exactly what she needed. A pair of high waisted ripped skinny jeans similar to what she'd been wearing before matched with a pink corset top tucked in. It covered her just well enough and looked wonderful, especially when she pulled her leather jacket on over top. She finished off the outfit with a pair of combat boots and her locket and went off to find the Doctor.

It didn't take her long, and she stood against the wall watching him methodically go through the clothes to find what he needed. He didn't notice her and she spent the time getting used to the fact that she'd gotten him back. She wasn't sure how the next year would go, but she certainly felt better spending it with him.

When he picked up a familiar suit, her smile grew. She slipped away so he could change and wandered over to the jewelry section, which was nearby. It was somewhat overwhelming looking at all of the options, and she took a deep breath. There was something missing to her outfit and she had a strong suspicion she'd find it there. After spending a full ten minutes looking through bracelets, she found her way over to piercings. Earrings didn't interest her much anymore and that was the only piercing she had. Still, she kept looking and eventually stopped in front of septum piercings. The jewelry was beautiful, and she found a somewhat spiky black ring and just stared at it.

"The TARDIS can give you a piercing," the Doctor said, making her jump. She turned to look at him and couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips at the sight of him, hands in pockets watching her.

"How long have you been there?"

"About as long as you were watching me," he winked. He laughed at her surprise and nodded at a machine nearby. "It's never been used, but that's from the 31st century. Nearly painless piercings that heal immediately."

"How do you use it?"

"Feed the piercing through and bring it up to your nose," he shrugged. "Looks simple enough."

"Is it sterile?" she wondered, looking at it suspiciously.

"It self-cleans," he nodded. "Do you want help?"

She shook her head and moved over to it. It took her a minute to figure out where anything went but finally, she did and she pressed the button before she could hesitate. She felt a small poke like a needle prick and pulled away.

"That… fits you," the Doctor told her, looking surprised. "So, what do you think?"

"I love it," she grinned, eyeing his outfit again. "Especially the jacket."

"It was a gift from Janis Joplin," he grinned. "Haven't had a chance to use it until now. I like your… punk look."

She let out a laugh. "That's what you'd call this?"

He considered it. "Yeah, the leather really makes it."

"So, Doctor," Rose grinned. "What do we do now?"

"How about… Barcelona?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	21. Runaway

**Enjoy! Please leave a review.**

 **Runaway**

"Doctor- ow! Relax, I didn't drop it."

"You're only 5'2 and you still manage to hit your head," the Doctor joked, scooting around her to help her hold the stabilizer in place. "You have to take this seriously, Rose."

"I am!" she snapped tiredly. "I'm fairly certain I could do this by myself, but you keep hovering."

"I do not hover," the Doctor defended.

"You do and you are," she raised an eyebrow, handing over the spectral stabilizer. "I'm going up there to read while you finish this. And I'm taking the mallet."

"She doesn't listen!"

"You don't listen!" Rose yelled back as she pulled herself from the grating, tossing the mallet across the room. "She tells you what she needs and your big ego gets in the way of listening."

"Well that was just uncalled for," he mumbled, ducking back under to keep working. "What's got you in such a mood?"

Rose glared at the grating where she knew he was. "I told you, you're hovering. And you have been for days, Doctor. What's going on?"

"Nothing," he denied. "Maybe I just hover now."

She snorted. He'd certainly been more openly affectionate in this body before, but he'd not hovered. "I don't believe you."

"I don't know what you want me to tell you."

"I think you're afraid of Bad Wolf," she accused. He was quiet for a beat and she knew she'd figured it out. "She's not going to hurt you, Doctor."

She heard him sigh and he pulled himself up to look at her. "I'm not worried about her hurting me, Rose. I'm worried about you."

"She's not hurting me," she blinked, confused. "I told you on the Game Station, she's a part of me."

"I don't understand," he looked frustrated as he stared at her. She knew he hated not understanding, and his hovering made sense. "Even a Time Lady shouldn't be able to handle the time vortex. It should've killed you, Rose."

"It did," she looked at him like he was stupid. "I don't think I was American last week."

"You weren't," he agreed with a sigh. "I just meant… it should've killed you completely, no regenerating. Do you understand how strong the time vortex is?"

"I do. But the TARDIS… she sort of bonded with me to help protect myself. That's why we have the connection we have. As much as I am the Bad Wolf, so is she. It's inside both of us."

"So the Bad Wolf is made up of… you and the TARDIS and the time vortex," the Doctor gathered. "It's that last bit I'm worried about. And what exactly would happen if you accessed it?"

"I imagine it would drain me," she shrugged. "I don't think it's exactly something I should do often."

"And what could you do with it?" he continued. She wondered why he'd waited so long to ask her about the Bad Wolf, but she figured she'd better get it over with.

"I mean… anything?" she shrugged. "I think the more I do, the more it'll drain me, but I don't think there's a particular limit to what I can do."

"You can't play god, Rose," he frowned at her.

"I know that," she replied sharply. "I'm not going to be irresponsible, Doctor."

He stared at her for a long moment before he finally asked the question that had been bugging him for days. "Do you think it could kill you again?"

Her mind drifted back to when she had been with her older self in the med bay and Jimmy had warned her against using her powers again. "Yes. If I use it too much, yes."

He ran his fingers through his hair the way that he always did when he was overwhelmed and she waited for him to gather his thoughts. "I'd like to run some tests."

She considered it, silently asking the TARDIS if there was a reason he shouldn't. When she didn't get a reply, she shrugged. "Go ahead."

It was two hours later when she'd finally had her fill of poking and prodding.

"Doctor, stop!" she snapped, slapping his hand away. "If you come near me with one more needle, I'll stick it in _you_."

He put his hands up, taking a step back. "Okay, maybe it's time for a break."

"Time to stop," she corrected. "Doctor, you've run every test you could think of. Twice."

"I just want to be sure-,"

She placed her hand on his and looked in his eyes. "I'm okay. I promise."

He stared back at her, looking at the golden rim of her eyes. "It's my fault this happened to you, Rose. I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I know you do," she smiled softly. "And I am, but it isn't your fault. You sent me to my mother and I had no way of getting back to you. I could've just stayed there, but I lo- I um, I needed to help you, and so did the TARDIS. It was our choice."

The pair stared silently at one another for a long moment before he patted her hand and pulled away. They'd both noticed her mess up but at the moment, neither were willing to mention it. They weren't ready yet.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose sat in her bed, staring at her journals. One was still empty, waiting for whatever was to come, while the other had stories of seeing Jack and River and even the older Doctor. Any interaction with people from the future was recorded in that book.

She read through the night she met Jack for the first time, barring the Head of Boe. It told her that he'd found his way back to the twenty-first century, but that begged the question of how, and what had happened to him on the Game Station. She knew she'd brought him back to life and she'd figured out at that moment that it had made him a fixed point in time for his entire life… which would be a very, very long one. She just wasn't sure how to approach the subject with the Doctor. She had a feeling he knew about Jack as well, and she also figured he was distinctly reluctant to go see him.

His time senses had been horribly dulled in his last body, and it wasn't a shock to her that he hadn't been able to feel that grating feeling around Jack before, but she knew he would now. Which was why she'd been considering sneaking away to find him… although how to do that was still a mystery to her.

She had no real way of getting in contact with River Song, considering she still knew so little about the woman. She cared for her, but she knew the friendship would only truly grow when she reached the point in their lives when she figured out who she really was.

River was a mystery. There was something off about her, something familiar, but she couldn't place it. It made her nervous, and she knew it bothered the Doctor as well, though he obviously just didn't trust the woman while Rose felt differently. She wasn't sure what it was, but she felt drawn to her.

There was a short knock on her door before it opened and she looked up to see the Doctor grinning at her. "All done! Where do you want to go? Barcelona?"

She shook her head with a chuckle. "I need to go see Mum. She probably thinks I've died."

The Doctor deflated. "Oh come on, Rose!"

She gave him an irritated stare and he threw his hands up. "Fine, fine. But then… Barcelona?"

With a nod, she hopped off the bed and shooed him out of the room, walking to the console room. She listened to him tell her of Barcelona while she piloted the TARDIS, who for some reason, groaned at her as she tried to take off and once more upon landing.

"See, she doesn't want to go either," the Doctor joked, though Rose could feel his concern.

"I wonder what's wrong," she muttered. "You did say you'd fixed her, didn't you?"

"Yeah," he frowned. "I'll stay in here and take a look. I'll come find you when I'm done."

"Sounds good," she agreed, grateful that she didn't have to lie about how they'd gotten to the time and place they were at. She closed the door behind her and took in a deep breath at the sight of what she knew to be Torchwood. She'd gotten the date wrong, her time senses told her. It was 2003 and not the date she'd tracked Jack back to. With a frustrated sigh, she pushed forward.

Entering the small shop, she smiled at the sight of Ianto, who glanced up at her in surprise, likely unused to what he guessed to be an actual customer. "Hello, can I help you?"

She tugged at her loose black curls nervously. "I'd like to see Captain Jack Harkness, please. He's an old friend."

Ianto tilted his head, curious now. "And who might you be?"

"Rose Tyler," she supplied. "Though… I don't look like he'd remember me. I can prove it's me if he'll come see me."

"Right," Ianto muttered, picking up the phone and muttering into it too quiet for her to hear. "Jack will be here shortly. Would you like some coffee?"

"I'd love some, thanks," she gave him a soft smile. He ducked out of the room to get her coffee while she waited rather impatiently for her friend. The door opened again and instead of Ianto, she found Jack. He looked… angry.

"So who the hell are you?" He asked sharply. "How do you know about Rose Tyler?"

She threw her hands up. "Jack, it's me. Honestly. We danced in front of Big Ben in the middle of an air raid?"

"That's easy information anyone could have," he spat. "You look nothing like her."

"I've told you, I can regenerate. So can the Doctor. We both did, actually… it was a bad day. What do you need to prove I'm me?"

He considered the question for a long moment. "What would only Rose and I know?"

She frowned and took a step forward to whisper in his ear. "I'm rewriting my timeline."

He jolted back to look in her shining green and gold eyes. "Rosie?"

She nodded quickly. "I'm so sorry, Jack. I didn't mean to leave you there. I sort of died for a bit, regenerated and so did the Doctor. It's no excuse."

"I had to find my way back to earth," he ground out. "I landed a century too early and got killed, over and over, Rose. I can't die!"

She winced at the anger and pain in his voice. "I know. I know, Jack. That's my fault. I became the Bad Wolf And you'd died… I couldn't stand you being dead. I brought you back but I had to bring you back… forever. I didn't mean to. By the time I realized, it was already done."

"Why couldn't you have come to get me sooner?"

It was a simple question but one that stung. "I tried. I don't know, I think there's something wrong with the TARDIS. She didn't like coming here."

Jack let out a deep sigh, looking confused. "Where's the Doctor, then?"

"Checking on the TARDIS," she shrugged. "He doesn't even know we're here, honestly. Jack, it's just… looking at you is painful. Being near you is painful. I've got time senses and when I brought you back, I made you a fixed point in time. And that grates on my time senses. The Doctor can sense it, and so can the TARDIS. It's not anything personal, it's… it's my fault."

He frowned. "Well, I couldn't come back anyway. I've got a group now, people that depend on me."

"I understand," she nodded. "The future, remember? I just wanted to… I needed to tell you that I didn't forget you and that if you need anything, you call me and I'll be there."

Jack's frown slipped into a smile and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of his head. "Thanks, Rosie."

"I have to get back to the TARDIS before the Doctor realizes when and where we are. But I'll be here as soon as you need me, Jack. Promise."

She leaned to hug him once more, glad to feel his mood had lightened incredibly when she was stopped by a flash of light, the familiar sign of time travel via vortex manipulator. She glanced up to see River, wide-eyed and scared.

"Rose! It'll be here any secon-,"

A loud crash sounded in the back room, a cup crashing to the floor and breaking. Not a moment later, a bright red and tiny pod rushed into the room. Still holding onto Rose, River typed something into the vortex manipulator and pressed the button to activated it just as the pod slammed into the device, sending up sparks. Even worse, Rose felt a terrible feeling rip at her time senses and toss them carelessly through time until they crashed and she felt something she'd only felt once before.

A very full, very loud mind. With one louder than the others.

"Rose!"

"She looks like she is in pain, is she injured?"

She felt hands touch her cheeks and felt immediately calmer at the connection, breathing out in relief. But the hands pulled away in shock, and she let out a moan of pain as the disorienting noise returned.

"Rose, it's okay," River told her, gripping her hand. There was a warm liquid dripping from her nose and she felt pain in her hand now that River touched it. "It's okay, just take a deep breath."

She tried to do as she was told but found the task impossible. It was so much _worse_ than the last time, she felt scared and panicked and there was just _more_.

River's hand was pulled abruptly from her own with a soft protest from the upright woman and was replaced with a familiar, warm hand.

The noise quieted once more, slowly, and she felt herself relax.

"Rose, was it? That is what your friend said?"

Aware that the conversation was in their heads, she focused on her breathing as they talked. "Yes… Doctor?"

"I see you already know me but I do not have the pleasure of knowing you," he told her. "Although I can guess."

"It's not what you think," she frowned mentally. "It's a bit more complicated. How is it that you block out all the… noise for me?"

"Oh, is that what's wrong? I thought it might be an aneurysm. Well, when we are touching, we are communicating. We would not be able to hear one another with everyone else, so it dims."

"I need to _leave_ ," she said aloud. Finally bringing herself to face what she already knew, she opened her eyes to the sight of a brown-haired Doctor kneeling next to a worried looking River, along with a woman she didn't know. "I need to- we need to leave, Doctor."

The Doctor didn't reply, staring into her eyes. "My dear, can I ask, your eyes..?"

She winced, shaking her head. "Spoilers, Doctor."

"Don't they remind you of the goddess?" The unfamiliar woman asked him excitedly. "You said you loved that story, Doctor."

"You are right, Romana, they do," he tapped his knee. "How intriguing. Anywho, we cannot leave Gallifrey yet. Or you cannot, I suppose. My TARDIS is being held hostage until I travel to earth and retrieve an enemy of mine. We can only go there and back."

"But we can come back for you when we're finished," the woman, Romana, said. "It shouldn't take long at all."

Rose gripped the Doctor's hand tighter, staring into his eyes. "Don't let go."

His friendly smile slipped into a frown. "Why?"

"It _hurts_ ," she breathed. "It's too loud, I can't… it's too loud, Doctor."

He looked startled as if he hadn't truly put it together as he'd said. "But are you not a Time Lady? Have you not always lived with the noise?"

"She can't tell you that," River put in. "Spoilers, Doctor."

"And who are you, exactly?" He asked, almost looking annoyed.

"My friend," Rose waved off the question.

"I'd be concerned with her eyes," Romana said thoughtfully. "If the council thought they'd found the goddess, they'd likely take her to worship her."

Rose winced. "I was worshipped as a goddess once. I'm not in the mood."

The Doctor let out a sigh, placing both his hands on Rose's own. "I can help you create a barrier in your mind to block out unknown minds. I am not sure what sort of life you have led, most of us learn that as children."

"Just do it, Doctor," Romana told him firmly. "We must be on our way if we wish to catch her in time."

"Right," he shook himself, raising his hands to her head. She winced slightly at the speed, only having a second to prepare herself. He was inside the depths of her mind before she was ready and everything inside of her shuddered.

"Rose?" He asked gently. "Are you alright?"

"Um, yes," she tried for a steady tone. "You just didn't give me any warning to… um, prepare myself."

"I do not see why you would need one if we're bonded, I would know everything, right?"

"Yes, you do, it's just… startling to me."

She felt his suspicion rise as her own anxiety did but luckily he moved on for the moment, glancing around her mind with curiosity. "Your shields are fresh. I do not understand, why are you not properly protected?"

"I can't really tell you, can I?"

"Maybe not," he agreed with a sigh. "No matter, this will be quick work."

The Doctor set to work as Romana turned to River with a frown. "How did you two arrive here? The shields around the planet are strengthening in preparation for the time lock."

River gave her a nervous smile. "It was an accident. My vortex manipulator was sabotaged and when I got to Rose, our next jump landed us here and destroyed it. I'd say she could take us home but she doesn't look too good right now, does she?"

"She does not," Romana agreed with a frown. "And her shields…"

"The Doctor, can he hear us?"

"No, not while building shields."

River relaxed slightly, leaning against the wall behind her. "Rose was raised on Earth, actually. Away from any and all noise. We're from pretty far in the Doctor's future as well."

Romana took in the information quietly. "And her eyes?"

"That's not my story to tell," River shook her head. "She doesn't like to tell it much at all, anyway. Let's just say she wanted to save the Doctor, so she found a way to do just that."

"I don't know many of his friends that wouldn't do anything for him," Romana hummed in agreement. The pair fell into silence while they watched Rose and the Doctor, who were silent as they worked. It was only a few minutes later when they opened their eyes and the Doctor slowly removed his hands from hers.

Rose tensed, ready for the pain to come, surprised when none did. Her face broke out into a smile and she wrapped her arms around the Doctor. "Thank you."

"You are very welcome," he replied awkwardly, slowly removing her arms from around him.

"Doctor, we should get going," Romana told him gently, much to his relief.

"Right, of course," he nodded firmly. "We have taken nearly thirty minutes longer than we were meant to."

"You two should get to a safe place," Romana suggested. "There's a private room nearby that you can sit in. It's usually used for council meetings but there aren't any scheduled for the next few days, so you'll be safe there. Take the left at the end of the hall, the second right and it's the room at the end there."

"When will you be back?" Rose asked the Doctor, tilting her head at him.

"We should be back rather quickly," he waved off her question.

"Don't worry," Romana smiled. "We'll get you back to where you belong."

They said quick goodbyes and separated, going in opposite directions down the hall. They entered the room they'd been told to go to and stopped in surprise.

It was lavishly decorated in gold and red with odd drawings placed all over the table. There was a glass ceiling that revealed twin red suns shining brightly in the distance. The room had a beautiful red haze about it, brightening the dimness. The table was long and held around twenty chairs total with one large chair at the end, obviously for a leader of some sort.

"This is incredible," Rose muttered. "I've always wanted to see Gallifrey, ever since he told me about it after the end of the world."

"I've only heard about it from the two of you," River admitted. "Neither of you talk about it often."

Rose looked at her friend thoughtfully. "River, what happened? What brought us here?"

River let out a sigh, placing herself in a chair while Rose paced restlessly. "I'm not entirely sure," she replied quietly. "I was being chased through time from a… something, I don't know. I landed on the TARDIS because I thought the shields could keep it out but they didn't, and it was the wrong TARDIS and the wrong time. I zapped to you after that."

"Why did you grab me then?" Rose shook her head. "I don't understand."

"I think the thing followed me because I've got time travel handy," she answered, frustrated. "I'd have thought it would stay with the TARDIS but that's too dangerous, so I led it to you."

"Because I can travel in time by myself," Rose understood slowly. "I see. Where is it now?"

"I don't know."

"Unknown entities are being filtered from the planet currently," a man spoke up, stepping from the back of the room, closing a door behind himself. "Unknown and malevolent."

"Who are you?" River asked defensively, her hand flying to the gun on her hip.

"I believe the real question is, who are you?" he replied, gliding closer to them curiously. "How did you get in here?"

"Um," Rose frowned at him. He felt familiar in a sort of way that terrified her. "Romana, she directed us here. She and the Doctor are-,"

"Retrieving the Rani," the man nodded. "Why would she send you here?" he paused, tilting his head at her. "Your eyes… I see."

"I don't," Rose said sharply, her gut twisting anxiously. "What about them?"

"How can a goddess be a goddess if she doesn't know what she is?" he questioned, although it didn't sound like he wanted an answer. "Is this where you begin? Of all times, now would be appropriate."

"Yeah, no thanks," she backed up, grabbing River's hand within her own. "We're going to go."

"Don't," he reached out to her, though didn't touch her. "Romana will expect you to be here when they return. I mean no harm."

Rose gripped River's hand tightly, staring at the man. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"No," he shook his head slowly. "Though, it does feel like it, doesn't it?"

"Where are we?" River questioned, looking around them. "She said it's used for council meetings?"

"It is," he nodded. "The war council."

Both women tensed.

"The… war? With whom?" Rose asked carefully, her heart racing.

He looked at them as if they were stupid. "The Daleks, of course."

"Oh my god," Rose gasped, leaning on the table for support. "We can't be here. River, we can't be here!"

"It's okay," River calmed, placing a hand on her friend's arm. "It's okay. They'll be back soon and they can take us to your Doctor."

"Oh, they aren't leaving again," the man frowned at them.

"Excuse me?" Rose glanced up at him.

"As soon as they return with the Rani, the time lock is going in place," he shook his head. "It was just declared at the last meeting."

"Then… why did they speak as if they were taking us home?" River questioned, her voice shaking slightly.

The man's eyes were wide as he stared at them. "Well, neither of them were there, of course. They had a meeting with the CIA."

"The… what?"

"The Celestial Intervention Agency," he blinked. "Where are you both from, anyway?"

"That's a bit of a long story," River replied tiredly.

"What are we supposed to do?" Rose asked River quietly. "I suppose I could get us home but I have a feeling it'd kill me again."

"We should wait for the Doctor and Romana," River replied slowly. "We'll see if they can figure anything out and then if they can't, we'll try your plan and just hope for the best."

"And what did you say your names are again?" the man interrupted.

"River Song," Rose pointed. "And Rose Tyler - Arkytior, if you'd like."

He paused, his eyes flying to her own once more. "I knew it… we'd always thought it was the Gallifreyan girl, of course, but it couldn't have been."

"I told you before, I'm not interested in being a goddess," she snapped. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Rossindherlem," he nodded once. "You can call me Ross."

"Right," she breathed out in a huff. "Well, Ross, thanks for the… informational welcome visit, but I think we're good now."

"Oh, I'm security," he explained. "You set off an alarm when you entered the room. Usually, a guard sits outside, but the counselors have been exchanging the duty while we're without guards."

"Where are the guards?" River wondered, glancing around the room.

"Our guards are also our warriors," Ross sighed. "They're out right now, fighting the Daleks on Gilla 76."

Rose took in a deep breath, trying to calm the panic that rose in her chest at the mention of Daleks. River was still slowly wandering around the room, looking at it closely. It took Rose a long moment to realize that Ross was staring at her. "What?"

"Apologies," he shook himself. "I know you said you do not wish to be a goddess-,"

"And I'm not-,"

"But everyone here will put it together rather quickly," he warned. "You cannot let them see you."

"But if they think I'm a goddess, why would they treat me badly?" she asked reasonably.

"Well," he frowned. "Because it is believed that the goddess will come to us in a time of need. Truthfully, they will expect you to win the war for us."

"No," she hissed. "I am _not_ fighting in this war."

"Not fight," Ross blinked, confused. "Win it… destroy them all at once."

"Oh, so genocide, all on my own," she grabbed the table, suddenly dizzy. She had a tiny feeling of just how the Doctor had felt in that moment, the moment when he'd realized what he had to do. She'd done that once - or twice, technically - and she never wanted to do it again. It had to happen, it was a fixed point in time, but she'd hated destroying so many lives, regardless of who they were. "No, thanks."

"My point exactly," he waved at her. "Which is why they cannot see you."

"So what are you suggesting, then?"

"We move you to spare private rooms. Someone is bound to come in here at some point and they'll find you. I'll send the Doctor and Romana a message that you've moved so that they can find you when they return."

"Of course," Rose sighed. "Nothing can be simple, can it?"

"Rossindherlem," a woman gasped, rushing into the room quickly. River pushed Rose behind her and stood next to Ross to hide her from the stranger. "There has been unauthorized time travel onto Gallifrey."

"Oh, hell," Ross cursed softly. "We must wait for the Doctor and the President to return with the Rani. We need her."

"There's no time left," the woman told him grimly, glancing for barely a moment at River. "We must place the time lock now."

"But the president-,"

"Can return to us on her own," was the firm response. "The time lock is being placed right this moment."

"Rose, now," River spun around, grabbing Rose's wrist without letting go of Ross. Rose did as River was asking and let herself light up brightly, thinking of her Doctor and sending them away from the beautiful room and confused woman.

The spun as they landed and the blinding light faded, receding back into Rose as she collapsed against Ross, who caught her carefully and lowered her down to the ground, kneeling next to her. "What did she do? Is she alright?"

"She will be," River pushed him aside, checking her vitals quickly. "Her hearts are racing but otherwise, she's fine. She isn't even regenerating."

"But what did she do?" he repeated, staring at the unconscious Rose that lay in front of him.

"She sent us away," River glanced up at him. "I don't know where or when."

"Well, this doesn't look like Gallifrey," he pointed out, glancing at the blue sky.

River followed his gaze and frowned. "I think it's earth," she told him slowly. "Did she take us home?"

"Home?"

"Doctor," Rose whispered, coming to.

"Not quite," River replied with a fond smile. "Do you remember what happened?"

Rose took a moment to reply, opening her eyes to look at the two crowding next to her. "Yeah, I- you told me to go, so I went. It was… so much easier this time. Almost effortless."

"Where did you take us, sweetie?"

"Um… I was just thinking about the Doctor. But I think we're on earth. I doubt I'd let myself bring us anywhere unsafe."

"Maybe we're near the Doctor and Romana," Ross suggested.

Rose stood carefully, taking Ross's hand to steady herself. She could see that she was still glowing slightly, just barely under her skin and shook off the uneasy feeling it gave her. Around her were trees and a large expanse of grass with some familiar buildings off in the distance. She frowned, moving closer silently and ignoring her friends' questions.

When she finally could see the buildings, she brightened significantly. "I know where we are!"

"Where?"

"We're at UNIT!" she told them excitedly. "Oh, I bet I know who we're about to meet, too. Admittedly, we're a bit off from the Doctor I wanted to see, but we'll get there."

"Why is the Doctor at UNIT?" River asked in confusion. "I thought he hated guns and soldiers."

"He does, but he got sort of exiled here for a while so he joined UNIT and worked with them until he could fix his TARDIS and escape, I think," Rose explained. "I'd say we'll find him in there with Liz."

"And Liz is…?"

"His companion," she told Ross. "Of sorts. She was brilliant and he never appreciated her for who she was. Come on, let's go find him."

"Hold on," Ross grabbed her arm gently. She shivered at the touch, feeling his shields brush up against hers. There was something about him… "We shouldn't interfere. Can't you just try and send us to your Doctor in his future?"

"Not yet," she shook her head. "Besides, he'll forget me as soon as I leave."

"And why is that?"

"We're bonded partly," she explained. "It's to protect his future."

Ross looked shocked and just nodded weakly in response.

"Stop!"

Rose spun around and set her eyes on five soldiers with their guns pointed at them, fingers on triggers. She threw her arms up in the air, nudging Ross until he did the same. "I'm sorry if we're trespassing, we just need to see-,"

"Trespassers get shot," one soldier, seemingly the man in charge, told them sharply. "No exceptions."

Fear sunk into the pit of her stomach, not for herself but for Ross and River. She didn't know what regeneration Ross was on and she assumed River would just die, like any human. She felt her shields drop just a little in panic, unable to hold onto them so tightly in the moment of fear.

"No, please, don't," she begged them quickly. "We're not here to hurt anyone, we just need to see-,"

"Quiet!" he screamed, taking a step forward. He glanced at his men quickly before turning back to them, though his words were for the soldiers around him. "Ready… aim… fi-,"

"Stop!" Rose resisted the urge to spin around, her hearts racing. She didn't want to get anyone else killed. "Stop, don't you dare! Do not hurt them!"

"You cannot command us, sir-,"

"But I know who does and if you kill them, I will have you executed in the same way," the man snarled, truly angry. "Lower your guns. Now."

Rose watched, astonished, as the soldiers did as he'd said and replaced the safeties on their guns. Feeling surer of their safety, she spun on her heel to catch the sight of a man with crazy grey hair and a black coat with red satin lining rushing toward them to stop short in front of her, looking her over quickly before glancing up at her eyes again.

"How did you…?"

"Your mind," he gave a small smile, tapping his own temples. "You let down your shields, I could hear your fear."

"I didn't really think my shields mattered right before my friends and I died," she admitted, quickly understanding who he was. "Thank you, Doctor."

He looked between the three of them and settled his eyes, finally, on her lightly glowing skin again. "Oh, my. Is that normal for you?"

She shrugged, glancing at the fading golden glow. "Not constant, no."

"Let's get you and your friends inside," he suggested, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to rush her inside. She let him, looking around at the familiar building as they walked. It was surprisingly similar to the UNIT of Pete's World in the future. The technology and people were different, of course, but the building was very much the same.

Once they were in the science wing of the building, his arm dropped down to his side and he led them into his lab where his TARDIS sat. There was also a girl that had to be Liz working on some project in the back corner of the lab, not even noticing them.

Rose's attention snapped to the TARDIS, whose song grew louder upon her arrival in the room. Rose stepped closer, humming along with the ship, a smile gracing her lips. When her hand touched the TARDIS, the golden light rushed out from under her skin and into the TARDIS, lighting up the inside before it sunk through the console and into the heart. A shiver ran through her and she took in a deep, calming breath as she felt her power settle back into her completely, ready for use again if necessary.

"What… did you just do?" Ross asked her in surprise.

"You call me a goddess," she said, turning to look at him. "But I got my power from this TARDIS, to begin with. Our entire beings are connected. Just as I am the Bad Wolf, so is she."

"Bad Wolf," the Doctor repeated. "I've heard those words before."

"I'm sure you have," Rose laughed lightly.

"But what is the Bad Wolf?" Ross asked curiously. She supposed it wasn't crazy for him to want to know more about the apparent goddess he'd been told of his entire life.

"I can do anything," she said succinctly. "But it comes with a price."

"What's the price for bringing us here?"

She shrugged. "Well, I sort of passed out, and I imagine if I hadn't been able to feed off the excess energy into the TARDIS, it would've hurt me a bit. The last time I did something… big… I died."

"Doctor," a man rushed in, looking angry. "Why did my men just tell me you threatened them?"

"They were going to kill these people," he defended vaguely.

"From what I hear, they're trespassers," the man replied sharply. "Why did you bring them into your lab?"

"The Doctor and I are old friends," Rose spoke up. "He's also worked with Ross in the past. Or future, I suppose."

"And this woman?"

River raised an eyebrow, smiling at him. "Spoilers."

"Still, you have no right to tell my men I'd shoot them for doing their job," he told the Doctor angrily. "You are not in charge here."

The Doctor waved him off. "I had to get them to stop, Brigadier," he said to excuse himself. "No harm done."

"And when will your friends be leaving?"

"As soon as possible," Rose spoke up. "We sort of missed where we meant to go. It was a bit like an emergency landing. Now we can go with hopefully more accuracy, although I haven't truthfully practiced much… or ever."

"It'll probably take a few tries," River touched her arm gently.

"No matter," the Doctor smiled at the Brigadier innocently. "They'll be out of your hair in no time."

"Right…" the man replied suspiciously, leaving the room. Liz had left as well without them noticing, a fact that surprised Rose greatly. She'd been told Liz was a curious and brilliant mind.

"Now, my dear," the Doctor grabbed her hand gently. "You're sure you're alright?"

"I am," she smiled, patting his hand. They were larger than either of her Doctor's hands, a fact that made her smile. "But we really should go. I'm much too early."

"But you have a way of leaving?" he asked her. "You can take me with you, get me off this planet."

"You know I can't do that," she raised an eyebrow. "I can't interfere in your past. I shouldn't even be meeting a past you."

"But I'll forget you," he reminded her. "I won't know how I got off earth."

"Doctor…" she sighed sadly. "In the future, you've told me about this version of yourself. You told me what happens. I don't take you away."

"Right," he shook himself, though he looked disappointed. "Of course. We must preserve the timelines."

"Rose, we should leave," Ross said. "Can you feel the-,"

"Yeah, I can," she nodded. "A fixed point coming up. We should go."

The Doctor pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed it gently. "Well, my dear. I look forward to meeting you."

She winked at him and grabbed onto Ross and River both, plucking that tight power inside of her and sending them away again, thinking once more about her Doctor.

And in a bright flash, they were gone as quickly as they'd arrived.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	22. Cover Me

**Cover Me**

Rose breathed in deep, relishing in the newly familiar feeling of power as they landed once more. She knew they were in the wrong place, of course, but she almost didn't mind as she felt the power inside of her grow even more than before, taking in the Atron particles flying around the air.

"We're on Gallifrey again," Ross told them in a whisper. Rose opened her eyes to see both of her friends staring openly at her and glanced down at herself. She was still glowing brightly, lighting up her black curls and pale skin with pure golden power.

"This is great," she muttered, though she was admittedly amazed by the way she looked. She could almost believe she was a goddess. "We're not back to the time lock, are we?"

"No," River replied. "It feels different."

"You're right," Rose agreed softly, looking out a window. "There's more plain energy dancing in the air. Not being used like it was then."

"This is a while ago. I think it's-,"

"Ah," Rose grunted, grabbing her head tightly. "Oh my god… fuck, there's two of them!"

"What?" River asked, wrapping an arm around her. "Two Doctors?"

"Sort of… but one of them is… _wrong_. I can hear his thoughts, why can I…? He wants… holy shit. He wants the younger Doctor's regenerations," she told them. "I know where we are. This is the Doctor's sixth incarnation and he's on trial against the Valeyard. The Doctor told me about it briefly."

"Who is the Valeyard?" River question as Ross's eyes widened.

"He's sort of… he's the Doctor, kind of. It's complicated," Ross answered her. "That trial was taught in the Academy. Truthfully, it was more of a story. We didn't realize it was true."

"I don't know too much about it," Rose admitted. "The Doctor was too ashamed of the Valeyard."

"I don't know what's truth and what was made up over the generations," Ross said apologetically. "I just know that the Doctor won."

"We should leave," Rose told them.

"I could use some rest," River told her hesitantly. "I know you're desperate to get home but I've been running since before I picked you up."

Rose blinked, shocked to find herself as inconsiderate of her friends as the Doctor was. "Right, of course. I'm sorry. Ross, do you know of somewhere she can get some rest and we can get something to eat?"

"Sure," he agreed. After escorting River to a room to sleep, he showed Rose to the capitol's food court. It didn't take them long to find their food and a place to sit. After a long minute of staring, Rose rolled her eyes and waved him on. "I was curious about your bond with the Doctor. When did you meet him?"

She considered the question. "I met him when I was nineteen and human. He was in his ninth incarnation and he blew up my job."

"You were a human?" he asked in shock. She let out a laugh and nodded.

"I grew up human. Lived in London my entire life with my mum. It was a dull life full of nothing but work, sleep, and depression. Then I met the Doctor and we traveled together."

"So how did this happen? What are you now?"

She hesitated before answering. "It's sort of a long story. Basically, I looked into the heart of his TARDIS. She looked into me, and we became the Bad Wolf. Full of limitless power. And then it happened again and I became what I am now. I'm not entirely sure what that is. The Doctor seems to think I'm a Time Lady, but there's something else in me like I'm a Time Lady _plus_ the Bad Wolf, which is all the power. Really, I'd only be a goddess when I'm accessing the Bad Wolf."

"So is that what you call yourself?" he questioned curiously.

"Nope," she laughed. The thought of calling herself Bad Wolf all the time was ridiculous to her. "Just Rose. Rose Tyler."

"And you bonded with the Doctor," he said, almost like a question. She hesitated once more, unsure of how to explain what happened. She knew he'd probably be disapproving of her attempt to rewrite the timeline, so she knew she couldn't mention that.

"It was… sort of an accident. I'd locked away the Bad Wolf until my mind and body were ready to contain it, and he made me remember because he's a curious person. When I started to regenerate, he tossed himself against my mind to protect it and gave me some regeneration energy to stop my regeneration. It bonded us."

"You didn't break it?"

She shrugged. "I'd, uh… I had some damage to my mind, and he was worried about it happening again. He told me the bond would protect me from anyone trying to invade my mind again."

"Any good shields would do that, too," Ross pointed out, digging at the exact thing she didn't want to say to anyone but the Doctor.

She shrugged off the question. "The bond was easier, especially for the danger we get in so constantly."

"Of course."

"What about you?" She asked him, genuinely curious. "What exactly is it that you do?"

"Oh, I work on the war council," he told her. "On behalf of the President. When she can't go, I go for her. That's why I knew the time lock would be put in place when they got back and she didn't."

"So do you work with the Doctor as well?"

"Only occasionally," he rolled his eyes. "He's a bit difficult, isn't he?"

Rose let out a laugh and smiled at him. "When he wants to be. Which is to say, always."

"Excuse me."

Rose glanced up at the man who set his hand on her shoulder. He was old and seemed bald with a large, dramatic black hat on and black robes. His touch sent shivers down her body and she instinctively backed up, getting out of her chair. "Don't touch me."

"We're bonded," he raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm not bonded to _you_ ," she spat. "You're not even the Doctor, not really."

"I'm better," he hissed, taking a step toward her, his eyes angry.

"Get away from her, Valeyard," a man, the Doctor, growled at him, pulling Valeyard away from Rose.

"Have it your way," he replied sharply. "When you're gone, I'll be all she has left."

"I'd rather throw myself into a sun, thanks," she glared as the man walked away, annoyed. She relaxed slightly when she was left with Ross and the Doctor, who looked tense and upset. "Are you alright, Doctor?"

He gave her a small smile and patted her hand gently, pulling her back down into her seat and sitting next to her. "I'll be fine, my dear. Though I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to be here…"

"We won't interfere with the trial at all," she assured him. "We're trying to get back to my Doctor, actually. A bit lost right now…"

"I'd offer to take you to him, of course, but I'm a bit preoccupied."

"Rose can handle it," Ross cut in, finally gaining the Doctor's attention.

"Your name is Rose. And who is your friend?"

"This is Ross," she introduced. "He sort of accidentally came when we left. It was a bit of an emergency exit and he just happened to be holding on when we left."

The Doctor watched her, looking at her glowing eyes and skin, which still hadn't quite gone back to normal. "Are you normally so…"

"Golden?" she laughed. "Not quite. My eyes, sure, but there's something about Gallifrey that makes me glow."

"Atron particles," Ross spoke up. "Like a magnet, they're attracted to you, feeding into the power you already have."

"So being here is like… recharging a battery?"

"Exactly."

"Well, you sound interesting," the Doctor chuckled lowly. "I should go. I wanted to meet my bond mate before they bring the Keeper of the Matrix out and decide my fate."

Rose grabbed his hand and spoke in his mind rather than out loud. "Keep the faith, Doctor. You've still yet to meet me."

"And I can't wait, Rose." he winked at her before standing and making his way out of the room, looking a little less defeated than he had when he'd arrived.

Rose relaxed in her seat, staring at the door he'd just exited. "How does the trial end?"

Ross hesitated. "I can only speak to what we heard in the Academy, so it may not be entirely true."

"Tell me."

"Well… the Doctor claimed that evidence was being altered by Valeyard, so they called the Keeper of the Matrix to confirm or deny the claims and some friends of his are called to testify about some adventure they went on. He was found guilty and I believe his remaining regenerations were to be given to Valeyard. The Matrix got destroyed by the Doctor and his charges were dropped. They did end up repairing the Matrix in the end, but Valeyard escaped, as well as the Master."

"The Master is here?" Rose asked, her gut churning. The Doctor hadn't told her that. Truthfully, he had only told her a bit about the trial considering how painful it was for him.

"He did show up, yeah," Ross nodded. "It was messy. The way the Matrix was kept changed significantly after that mess. It was far too corruptible. Oh, I think they offered the Doctor the presidency. He ran away instead."

Rose let out a laugh. "I thought he was lying."

"You two are really close, aren't you?" he asked her. She hesitated.

"He's my best friend. There are extenuating circumstances as well, some things I can't tell you about Gallifrey's future, but that led to him allowing himself to care for me."

He fell silent and sipped at his tea, thinking quietly as they sat in comfortable silence. She did the same, her mind wandering to Valeyard. He was definitely _a_ Doctor, but not… _the_ Doctor. It was like he was the distorted darkness from the Doctor, nothing good left inside. His touch had made everything inside of her recoil and she still felt sick remembering it. She wondered just what happened to create that man.

"You were human for nineteen years," Ross noted, startling her.

"Um, more like… twenty-four?" she guessed vaguely. She had no clue. She was around twenty-three when she died in Pete's World and she'd spent a year or two with her first Doctor, which left her around twenty-four or twenty-five. "It's complicated, and not something that the Time Lords would approve of."

Ross let out a laugh. "You don't seem like something they'd approve of if you weren't powerful enough to destroy them. That's why they worship you."

Rose's eyes darkened. "I don't want to be worshiped out of fear."

"Why else would you worship a god?"

"Faith," she suggested lightly.

"Maybe," he admitted. "I suppose I always assumed."

"Are there any other gods or goddesses?" she asked him curiously.

"Just you," he shook his head. "We're taught your story as Time Tots. Gallifreyans and Time Lords and Ladies alike look forward to your visit, though they also fear it because it's said you'll come in a time of need, in the worst time." Rose avoided his gaze, staring at the room around them as he tried to make eye contact. "It is, isn't it? This war… what's going to happen?"

She leaned back in her chair to look at him tiredly. "The Doctor tries not to tell me much in detail, but… yes, it is the worst thing Gallifrey will ever go through."

"I assumed it would be bad, considering the time lock," he told her softly, staring at her. "We only time lock events that should never, ever be changed or exposed to the rest of the universe. It's called a time lock but it's actually a spatial and temporal lock."

"The Time Lords don't want the Daleks to escape," Rose nodded. "They want to fight the war in these select galaxies and destroy the Daleks and then end the time lock."

"And that won't happen?"

Rose stared at him for a long second. He didn't seem like he wanted to try and change anything. "We should go find River. It's been a good while now. I don't think she sleeps much. I want to get out of here before the end of the trial."

"You don't want to run into Valeyard again," he guessed correctly. "I saw the way you looked when he touched you."

"He's just… _wrong_ ," she nodded at him. "That's not my Doctor, not any Doctor, really."

"Well, let's get River and get out of here."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"We're in repairs," Ross muttered quietly, aware of the nearby guards. "Several hundred years prior to where we just were."

"Repairs," Rose whispered back. "That's broken-,"

"Broken TARDISes, yeah," he nodded, looking around. "There's not much here."

"Maybe we're in the wrong place," River suggested. "We should go find the Doctor."

Rose's eye caught on a confused looking woman with short brown hair in a red dress, glancing back and forth. The woman's gaze settled on someone and her eyes lit up. "Doctor?"

He turned on his heel, in fear of being caught. Rose watched curiously as they spoke, kneeling so she wouldn't be seen, satisfied when her friends followed her lead. "Yes? What is it, what do you want?"

"Sorry, but you're about to make a big mistake," she told him with a smile. His eyes looked wildly around the room until they settled on Rose, who shook her head quietly, a finger on her lips. He frowned at her but turned back to the woman in front of him. "Don't steal that one, steal this one," she told him, crossing her arms and leaning against a TARDIS that Rose could feel was _their_ TARDIS. "The navigation system's knackered, but you'll have much more fun."

The Doctor nodded slowly as she turned around and, without another word, left the room. He did as she said and stepped into the right TARDIS, though he glanced at Rose once more before he closed the doors and left before the guards could stop him.

Once he was gone, Rose scrambled to her feet, pulling River and Ross along behind her as she rushed out of the room and into the large chamber, stopping short when she caught sight of the girl from before winking at Rose as she faded away into nothing.

"What was that?" she asked, turning to look at her friends. "Who was that? How did she disappear?"

"Sweetie, it looked more like she faded out of existence," River told her slowly. "I've seen it a couple of times before."

"Why would she tell the Doctor which TARDIS to steal?"

"It looked like she knew you," Ross reasoned. "Maybe she was fixing something, or fulfilling a time loop."

Rose sighed. "I don't want to let this go."

"But we have bigger problems," River reminded her gently, grabbing her hand to calm her. "We need to go."

"Right. Of course," she breathed out slowly, grabbing Ross's hand tight within her own and squeezing River's hand, grateful for the support. She squeezed her eyes shut tight and sent them away again, this time stumbling as they landed on a place that was certainly not Earth and not Gallifrey.

River and Ross both helped steady her as the glowing light that lit up her body pulsated wildly. Feeling sick, Rose doubled over and threw up, shaking as a small golden light flew out of her mouth and got caught up in the wind.

"Oh, fuck," she gasped.

"What's wrong?" River questioned, looking around them in worry. There were a few people staring, but most just kept moving. They were in what looked like a market, and most everyone was fine with minding their own business.

"I'm moving too fast," she choked out, stumbling over to a nearby bench. "We have to slow down. This is… it's sort of like regeneration poisoning. If I keep going so quickly after we move, I'll kill myself again."

"So we take breaks," Ross told her calmly. "For how long?"

"Until all the energy dissipates," she suggested. "It's like… I'm flooding my body with this energy when we move, and I don't give it time to sort of detox and just go again, pushing even more Atron energy into my body. It's okay for a short time, but anything super powerful or doing what we're doing now, it'll kill me."

"Is there any way to speed up the process of ridding yourself of the particles?" Ross questioned.

"We are being watched," River agreed. "Gathering more attention."

"I mean… when we saw the Doctor at UNIT, I was able to feed the energy off into the TARDIS. Just get me to a TARDIS and I can detox and get us out of here."

"Will that hurt the TARDIS?" River asked softly as she scanned the crowd for threats.

"Not likely," Ross replied for Rose. "A TARDIS is built to contain Atron energy - the only things in the universe that should be able to, actually. It'll be sort of like an energy burst for the ship."

"A TARDIS can regenerate Atron energy, make it in their core, their heart, but I'm sort of like… a trash can," Rose laughed shortly. "You can place it in me safely, it isn't going anywhere but eventually, I'll overfill, except when I overfill, I die."

"Right," the bushy-haired woman nodded. "So, we find you the TARDIS and feed your energy back into her. But how are we supposed to find it?"

"It'd be easiest to just find the Doctor," Ross suggested. "Your bond can lead you to him, and he'll know where his TARDIS is."

"He's right," Rose sighed, pulling herself slowly to her feet. "Let's get looking."

"Can't you call to him with your bond?" River questioned as they walked through the market, looking around for anything out of place, a good sign that they were getting closer to the Doctor.

Rose hesitated, sighing. "Our bond is muted. He knows it's there, he knows I'm here, but he can't hear my thoughts without touching me."

"So at UNIT-,"

"I dropped my shields because we were about to be shot," she deadpanned.

"Even I felt it," Ross admitted.

"So, every Time Lord in the vicinity would hear my cry for help, like Ross," she explained, waving at the brown-haired Time Lord.

"Why don't you do that now?" River asked, shoving a pushy alien out of their way. They'd been approached by a few sellers already, and one confused shopper, but River's gun had scared them all off quickly enough.

Rose snorted, chuckling for a second before she realized River was serious. "I thought you knew about bonds and telepaths?"

River shook her head lightly. "I know a little bit, what you and the Doctor and my parents have told me, but that isn't much."

Rose stopped walked and stepped closer to River, looking at her closely. "Oh, wow. You're… young, River. I didn't notice."

"So? Why can't you drop your shields?"

Rose shook herself and continued walking. "Because doing that would be like… screaming, shouting at every single telepathic being here to come and hurt me."

"I don't know where we are," Ross agreed. "But I wouldn't expect these people to respect telepathic etiquette and refrain from essentially mentally raping her mind."

Rose frowned at River. "Let me show you. Do you mind if I enter your mind for a moment?"

River's eyebrows furrowed but she stepped closer, indicating she could do whatever she wanted. Rose slowly raised her hands up to River's temples and placed them there.

"Can you hear me?"

"Oh- oh my," River gasped. "I see."

"This is the way any of these younger Doctors and I can communicate," Rose told her. "It sounds like a normal talking tone, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay, and…" Rose bit her lip and dropped just a couple layers of her shields for the briefest moment. River stumbled back and clutched her head, staring at Rose with blonde curly locks in her eyes. "Loud, right?"

"And now we should move," Ross told them, pulling both of them away. "Those are either some impressively thick wards or you've just got a very, very loud mind."

Rose chuckled as they turned a corner. "Both, I think. The Doctor has helped me put up every ward I have, _especially_ the stronger ones."

"I see," River replied quietly.

"I think I see him," Rose gasped, her eyes settling on a black-haired man with rather… eccentric pants and a black jacket. He looked just as he had in a picture her Doctor had shown her. She'd been shown pictures of only a couple of his past selves, something that she regretted now that she had to seek out the man.

"Rose!" Ross gasped, grabbing her just before she collapsed suddenly, dropping to the ground in his arms, her eyes rolling back in her head. The sight of the glowing woman passing out caused a commotion that finally caught the Doctor's attention, his eyes widening as they fell on her.

She came to only moments later before the Doctor had even begun rushing over. She breathed out slowly, watching as another bout of energy floated from her mouth and into the sky. "Oh.. oh no."

"Take it slow," Ross told her. "Deep breaths. You'll be okay. It's just like recovering from regeneration."

"No," she choked out, coughing. "It's like dying from regeneration poisoning."

"Oh my dear," the Doctor stared down at her. "You're quite the mess, aren't you?"

"Yeah, thanks, Doctor," she glared tiredly.

"We need to get her to your TARDIS," Ross told him when she didn't look like she wanted to speak again. "She's going to die."

"I don't put strangers on my TARDIS," the Doctor narrowed his eyes at the two crowded around Rose, protecting her from the people around them.

"She's not a stranger, you dolt," River snapped. "She's your bond mate!"

The Doctor looked at her, indignant. "I don't have a bond mate."

Rose reached up quickly and touched his hand before she fell back down into Ross's lap. The small moment was enough for their minds to brush against one another and for him to feel and understand that she truly was his bond mate and that she was dying.

He let out a shaky breath and kneeled down, picking her up out of Ross's arms and standing up straight. "Does she need the zero room? Is this regeneration gone wrong?"

"No, just get her into the TARDIS," River replied. He led them through the crowd, taking a sharp left into what looked like a storage closet. Ross opened the door for them and he sped through the console room and into the med bay, lying her down on a table. She'd passed out again and looked to be in pain, her fists clenching and eyes squeezed shut.

"I'll give her something for the pain and a sedative," he said, reaching for two syringes. Before he could pick them up, the TARDIS let a rush of wind into the room, which knocked them both in the trash cans just as River shouted "No!"

The Doctor spun around, wide-eyed and angry at being interrupted. "And why not, Miss…?"

"River Song," River grit out. "And she's had bad experiences with sedatives."

"Well, she's perfectly safe," the Doctor scowled. "She needs time to heal and if she wakes up too soon, it can interrupt the process. It's a perfectly normal thing to do, I assure you."

"You don't understand," River insisted, looking panicked as she pushed herself between Rose and the Doctor. "You really can't, Doctor, please."

"She will only hurt herself more if she wakes up."

Ross plucked the needles from the trash quietly and pushed them into Rose's arm before he could be stopped. The Doctor looked at him behind River and the woman spun around, smacking it out of his hand and her arm in horror.

"You don't know what you've done."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"My Wolf," a soft voice sang. Rose felt an uncomfortable heavy feeling in her body. She didn't have to open her eyes to see the golden light dancing in beautiful patterns, and she had a feeling she couldn't open them even if she wanted to. "Oh, my Wolf I did try to stop them."

"Stop… who?"

"But you need to rest. You've been asleep for many earth hours. You'll wake up very soon."

"Where am I?"

"You're with me," she soothed. "You're safe. Remember, you're safe."

"Of course, why would I-,"

"I will see you again."

"Don't go," she whispered. She never wanted the song to quiet. But it did, and suddenly she realized she was awake, or waking up.

As quickly as she woke up, she also forgot the words that the TARDIS had sung to her, the reassurances she'd been given.

It took only a moment of that familiar feeling for her to gasp uncomfortably, barely able to move. Her chest rose and fell quickly as she began hyperventilating, and she felt hot, panicked tears roll down her cheeks and land on her neck.

 _I'm back, he's here,_ how did he get here, _I need to leave!_

Slowly as she woke up, the silent crying turned into sobs and she shook violently. Her stomach twisted in knots and she felt the ghost of old hands along her body, old injuries flaring up in memory, specifically the one she'd received the morning after he'd found her in the kitchen cutting up her legs. The scar in the shape of a bite mark on her shoulder where he'd screamed that she was his and bit hard into her.

A hand, a real hand, fell on her own, and she recoiled, almost falling off the bed she lay on. She was fairly certain someone was speaking to her as well, but she couldn't hear them over the panic attack that pounded in her ears. When the hand chased her, she willingly threw herself off the bed, shocked when she fell much farther than she'd expected and hit a hard, cold ground.

What was probably moments but felt like eternities later, she felt someone rush to her side. She pushed herself away. She'd opened her eyes when she fell but she didn't understand what she saw because all she could see was the memories dancing around, taunting her. Still, they followed, grabbing her face hard and touching their cold fingers to her temples at the same time.

And then it stopped. Mostly.

She felt abrupt clarity, but the panic, the pain in her chest, the tears and the sobbing remained.

"Rose," a voice whispered gently, a voice that she'd never heard before but still she knew. "You're okay. You're safe."

She sucked in a long, shaky breath, only able to hold it for a few seconds before she let out another sob as she came down from the terrible high of a panic attack. "Doctor."

"You're on the TARDIS," he told her. "You passed out when we got here."

She nodded mentally, not needing to do it physically, which was good considering she couldn't quite move yet.

"All of your excess Atron energy was given to the TARDIS. You should be all healed now."

"Right," she whispered, this time out loud. He slowly removed his hands from her face, though he held her hand still to comfort her. She opened her eyes again and looked around to see a horrified Ross and worried River. "How long…?"

"A couple of hours," River answered her softly. "I didn't tell them."

Rose tensed as she understood. Of course, River would've predicted what would happen - she probably tried to stop them from sedating her, to begin with. She was filled with a deep gratefulness as she understood the situation. "Thank you, River."

"Rose," Ross said in almost a whisper. "I'm so sorry."

"You didn't know."

"River tried explaining," he denied. "She tried to stop us."

"So did the TARDIS," the Doctor cut in. "She threw the needles in the trash."

Rose let out a short laugh at that mental image. "You never listen to the TARDIS, do you, Doctor?"

River looked between the two and grabbed Ross by his shirt, dragging him out of the room with the excuse of finding food for the four of them.

Once they were gone, the Doctor quietly helped Rose to her feet, settling her in a chair and sitting across from her. "Can I…?"

It was a genuine question, not a demand, and Rose almost said no, but she knew he'd only come up with worse ideas if she did. She knew intrusive thoughts much too well. "Go ahead."

"River didn't tell us why," he told her. "Not even after it happened. But when our minds touched a minute ago, I saw something…"

Rose frowned, not entirely sure what he'd seen. Her mind had been racing, her memories racing. She couldn't be sure what he'd caught.

"A man. He drugged you and did… awful things and then took a knife to your leg," the Doctor hissed. Rose raised her hand before he could continue.

"Yeah."

He hesitated. "You looked young."

She ran her fingers through her hair, gathering it up to pull back in a ponytail as she did often when she was anxious. "I was. I was maybe sixteen then," she admitted. "I don't really remember. I think he was angry with me for… something. I don't remember all of it, some bits come back in flashbacks or panic attacks like this."

"Are you still…?" the Doctor trailed off, looking unsure. He obviously didn't know how to handle the situation. She could see clear fury lying underneath the calm exterior and decided not to confront it and settled on lying because she couldn't really say she was away from him completely, could she?

"Of course not."

He tensed, his eyes sharpening. "When it comes to bond mates, we can always tell if the other is lying, Rose. Even if I'm younger than the one you bonded with. I know you're lying."

She closed her eyes, the shame of lying to the Doctor rushing over her. "I'm not constantly with him anymore, but… he's out there, and he keeps… finding me."

"What the hell have I done about this?" the Doctor asked, the Oncoming Storm slipping from its very careful cage.

"Everything you could," she put a hand up. "You saved me from him when you could. Chasing him isn't exactly our main goal right now, Doctor. We've been busy."

"Well, where am I now?" he asked reasonably, staring into her golden eyes so deeply that she had to look away.

"There was an accident. I landed us on earth and River and I were swept away to Gallifrey and left without a way to get to you… it's complicated. I can't explain all of it without messing up timelines."

"Humans are easy to track," the Doctor told her, getting to his feet to leave the room. She grabbed his arm before he could rush away, looking up at him and really seeing the height difference for the first time now.

"He's not _human_ , Doctor," she shook her head. "I don't know who he really is, but I know his Time Lord name. That's it."

"Well, what is it?"

"Only if you promise not to try and find him," she demanded, glaring up at him. He waved her on with a nod and she sighed. "His name is the Planner."

"I've never heard of him," the Doctor told her, looking defeated.

"Good," she raised an eyebrow. "Because you can't go looking."

"I understand," he nodded once, hating it as he did.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Ross stood outside of the med bay while River wandered off to look for a kitchen. The conversation he was listening to felt impossible to ignore. He gathered generally what had happened to Rose when she'd had her panic attack upon waking up, but the Doctor's reluctance to say the word drove it home.

Whatever had happened, it happened three years before Rose met the Doctor, but it sounded like there was much more that had happened even before then.

The Doctor's anger towards his future self was understandable. His bond mate was someone he was meant to keep safe just as she was meant to keep him safe. The news that he'd been unable to do that even after they met and bonded had to have been devastating, especially to the Doctor, whose entire life was spent trying to save people.

Ross was shocked when Rose said the man wasn't human. How many aliens were on earth and were that persistent? And then she said the name.

 _The Planner_.

His eyes widened and he covered his mouth with his hand.

"What are you doing?"

He turned to see River poking her head around the corner at the end of the hall, too far away to see his facial expression clearly. "Did you find one?"

"No. I think we might want to give up for now. We can find food later."

"Good plan," he nodded as she made her way toward him. "I was just trying to make sure they were done talking so I don't interrupt anything."

"And?"

"We're done," Rose said, startling them both. "You two talk pretty loud."

"Are you ready to go?" River asked her. "It's alright if you need more time."

She shook her head. "I feel fine. The TARDIS gave me a boost of oxytocin to help with the anxiety."

"Oxytocin is…?"

"The happy chemical," River explained to Ross. "For humans at least."

"And Time Lords," Rose raised an eyebrow. "You don't know this?"

"I never much liked biology," he admitted.

"Let's get going," River said again. "The Doctor?"

"He's cleaning up what I knocked over," Rose chuckled quietly. "I told him we'd be leaving."

"Right," Ross grabbed her hand with River doing the same. Rose sucked in a deep breath and released the Bad Wolf once more, sending them away again.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	23. Face of Contusions

**Please review and let me know if there's anything you don't understand. I did some research on the Mara before writing this because I've only read about it in fics, so I hope I did well and kept it close enough to canon.**

 **CW: kidnapping, sex trafficking, abuse, sexual assault. Let me know if I need to add more.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Face of Contusions**

When she stumbled to the uneven ground, tripping over her friends, Rose felt grass under her hands. It was soft, and she let out a smile at the familiar scene of London in the distance. Her glee was stopped short when something slithered up her arm, cold and long. She felt a sort of stabbing pain and pulled her leather jacket off abruptly to glance down at the snake outline that now marked her skin. She didn't get a chance to say anything, though, before something dug painfully at her shields and, upon realizing they couldn't penetrate them, switched to the bond between her and the Doctor, but not before brushing past something that sent a shock of pain through her body.

She'd imagined it would take longer when the Doctor had told her about it. He'd described it as if it were a long and tedious process, but it was quick. A bit like ripping off a band-aid except the further away from your body it got, the more of you it tore away. She couldn't scream or cry out but only shake violently as the mental agony crippled her.

" _I can make this go away_ ," a disembodied voice promised softly. It sounded like a gift. " _You want to rid yourself of this endless pain, right_?"

"It hurts," she managed to whisper mentally. "My mind…"

" _It won't end,_ " the voice told her. " _The loss of a bond can kill. Don't you want me to take this away?_ "

"How?" she asked the voice suspiciously. She wasn't herself, that much was true, but her entire life had taught her to be cautious of strangers.

" _You're mad at him,_ " the voice suggested. Something about the voice made her think that maybe she was. " _He told you to keep the bond. He never told you it would hurt so much to break it. And now here you are, broken and without any shields to protect yourself. Anybody could wander inside. Your mind is falling apart."_

It was right, Rose realized. If the Doctor had just gotten rid of the bond before she learned to depend on it, she wouldn't hurt so much right now.

" _You should get revenge,"_ the voice told her. The words sounded so right. " _I can help you get revenge. I just want to help you…_ "

"What do I have to do?"

" _Give your mind over to me,"_ it told her gleefully. Rose didn't notice. She just relaxed, letting the voice take control of her mind, her body.

It wasn't until the exchange was complete that she realized what had happened. She was still in horrible, blinding pain, but she knew she'd been tricked. This voice, whatever it was, it had destroyed her bond with the Doctor and twisted her feelings.

She watched as the voice controlled her. She looked up at her friends, who hadn't even moved. Everything that had happened had happened in mere moments, not even raising the suspicion of her friends.

"Let's go find the Doctor, shall we?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Oh," the Doctor gasped, a bright feeling flooding his mind. "Oh, that's new and… lovely."

"Doctor?" Tegan asked, turning to look at him. "What is it?"

He paused, looking at his companion. She'd only heard a little bit about bonds but he'd told her about telepathy after her run-in with the Mara when her curiosity had gotten the better of her and she'd bugged him about it for three days straight. "It seems, Tegan, that I've got a bond mate at some point in time, and they're here now."

"A bond mate, that's like a… wife, right?"

"In the most simplistic form, yes," he agreed. "Bonds make it about much more than being married, spending your life together and stereotypical male and female roles. It's actually quite complicated, especially considering Time Lords can regenerate into men or women, and sometimes we regenerate into someone much more androgynous than before. A bond mate stays with us through every regeneration, every incarnation we have- oh!" he cut off abruptly, grabbing his head tight as the faint bond he felt was destroyed in a rather crude way. Unable to stop himself, he let out a cry of agony as his entire body shook. He vaguely noticed Tegan grabbing onto him, but he was totally focused on the feeling in his mind, unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. It was as if his mind was not only splitting in half and dying but also like the half that remained was poisoned with not much time left.

"Doctor!" Tegan screamed, shaking him by his shoulders. He forced himself to look up at her. "What's wrong?"

"She's- our bond, it was broken," he grit out with much effort. "Something happened to her." A flash of something, a telepathic cry for help screamed through his mind before disappearing completely.

Tegan's eyes widened. She didn't know what it meant, of course, but she could tell what it was doing to the Doctor. "If we find her, Doctor, if we find her, can you fix it?"

He winced, squeezing his eyes shut as if it would block out the pain instead of the light. "I can… theoretically, I can bond with her again, but-,"

"Then get up," Tegan ordered, pulling him to his feet. "Do you have any idea where she is?"

"Um," he frowned, trying to remember what it was he felt a flash of. "There was something, a short burst of something. Like her mind was projecting to any and every telepathic being before it all just went quiet."

"You can track that?"

"I can remember where it was and feel for that," he confirmed. "We can use the TARDIS and make quick jumps."

The pair ran the short distance back to the TARDIS and the Doctor sent them through the vortex for a short moment before they landed, only crossing over their timelines just a little bit. It was an emergency, after all.

They landed in a large grassy clearing. London was off in the distance and ahead of them was two women along with a man - a Time Lord. The Doctor's eyes narrowed. It had to have been the Time Lord that did it. He ran as best as he could at them as the two standing turned to look at the girl on the ground, who looked confused, her arm up in front of her eyes to block out the sun.

"Doctor!" Tegan screamed, grabbing him by his arm to stop him from running closer. "Her arm!"

His gaze slipped back to the arm blocking out the sun and he felt a dark anger rise up inside of him. The mark of the Mara. It made sense. If they were bonded, the Mara couldn't have sunk its claws into the poor girl. It also explained why he'd only gotten a flash of her mind - the Mara had taken over and shoved her mind to the back much too quickly.

"Doctor," the Mara said, standing. He took in the sight of the girl it was possessing. Her shining golden and green eyes, her pale skin with scars littering it and the long, curly black hair pulled up in a quick ponytail. There were old tear marks staining the light makeup she had on, and a leather jacket was on the ground, under her heel as she'd stepped on it when she stood.

"Get out of her," he growled darkly. "Now!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" a blonde woman asked sharply, stepping a bit in front of the Mara, who just shoved her to the side.

"I've been waiting for my chance to find you. It was only luck that brought me your dangerous little bond mate. She had all the darkness inside of her, possibly more than you. Absolutely brilliant. So much fear… she'll never stop being afraid of him, Doctor. No matter how many versions of you try to help. You can never truly save her. As long as she is alive, he will follow her and take her away from you."

The Doctor stared at the Mara, barely containing his anger. It was baiting him, he knew, but it did its best work when speaking the truth. Which, of course, only made everything worse. Somehow, he was going to fail the girl in front of him, multiple times. Something in her had attracted the Mara, something darker than anything in all of London had brought the Mara to her and she'd been so desperate to escape that she'd let it take over.

"You," the Doctor waved at the blonde woman. "Is she a Time Lady?"

The woman hesitated. "I mean… yes, essentially."

"Is she or is she not?" he snapped, impatient.

"Yes! Yes, she is."

The Doctor stuck his hand in his extremely large pockets and dug around for a long moment before he pulled out a laser gun. "Terrible thing, truthfully. I plan to go back to Villenguard to destroy the plant. I picked this up off a child who found it and thought it was fake. Almost shot his leg off, poor thing."

The Mara hesitated, looking genuinely worried now. "You wouldn't kill your own bond mate, would you?"

"I would save her from a parasite," he responded sharply. Before she could argue anymore, he forced himself to shoot the gun. His aim was perfect - it hit her heart. She dropped to the ground and he rushed over, tossing the gun off into the grass. By the time he'd crossed the distance to reach her and pull her into his arms, she'd already stopped breathing. Her friends were talking above him, but he wasn't really listening, rather watching, waiting for the sign he was looking for. His fingers were on her wrist, feeling her pulse weaken until it was no more. She was dead.

And just like that, the Mara slithered out of her skin and off into the grass once more, not even bothering to try anyone else.

"Get away from her," the Time Lord said, tugging at the Doctor.

"I'll be fine," he replied sharply.

"No, seriously," the woman told him. "Get away. She's already got the energy from the last trip. Regenerating is going to be a hell of a blast, Doctor. She'll be fine, just get away from her."

The Doctor reluctantly set her on the ground and stepped away to watch with her friends as she regenerated. It was nothing like he'd ever seen, though. The energy that exploded from her was not regeneration energy. It floated in the air before surging back down into her newly changed body suddenly. She shot up, gasping in pain.

Her brown and golden eyes roamed the area madly until they settled on him, though the Doctor had a feeling she wasn't truly seeing him. She looked terrified as she settled into her new body.

"Rose," the other woman whispered. "Are you okay?"

"My head," she whispered. "My mind, it's so…" She looked up at the Doctor again, confused. "I don't understand what's… it hurts."

The Doctor hesitated before kneeling down next to her again. She stiffened, looking at him as if he were a stranger. "Rose, would you mind if I took a look inside your mind? Just for a moment."

She frowned as if she didn't like the idea but didn't know why. She gave him an unsure nod and he lifted his hands to her temples. She flinched and pushed him away, and he winced. Something was very wrong with her.

"Rose," he said softly, holding his hands out in front of him to show that he wasn't going to hurt her. "Do you know who I am?"

She shook her head. "What's happening?"

"Oh my god," her friend whispered, horrified.

"What happened to her?" the Time Lord asked.

"I'd like to know as well," the Doctor cut in. The woman looked between them before nodding slowly.

"Can we go in the TARDIS? This might be a bit of a long conversation," she admitted tiredly.

The group of five did just that with the Doctor helping Rose into the TARDIS and settling her in the med bay. He left her there and turned on the cameras to make sure she didn't wander off while they spoke.

Once they settled down in a kitchen across from the med bay, the woman, River, began speaking while Tegan handed out tea.

"Rose has had a very difficult life," she told them. "I don't know all of it, just what she and my parents told me growing up. There's one fact that's important but that is also a fixed point in time that neither of you can change," she told them firmly, staring between the Doctor and Ross. When they waved her on, she nodded. "Rose is currently reliving and changing her original timeline." She put her hand up before the Doctor could begin listing all the ways that was too dangerous. "She died in her original timeline. The TARDIS brought her back over and placed her in her nineteen-year-old body to start things over again."

"Why would my TARDIS interfere like that?" the Doctor asked her in disbelief.

"They bonded," Ross realized. "Rose and your TARDIS. Twice they became the Bad Wolf. That's why the TARDIS brought her back."

"Exactly," River nodded. "Things didn't turn out well for either of them when she was left in the other universe. Doctor, you couldn't get back to her."

"What does this have to do with what's going on now?"

"You got suspicious," River told him. "And then you unraveled it all. You went into her mind with her permission and let her listen to the song of the Bad Wolf that the TARDIS had hidden behind a door in her mind. She started to regenerate. She didn't, in the end, but almost. You had to shield her mind with your own to save her, but that created your bond."

The Doctor stared at her. "So she was human."

"Very," River nodded. "Now she's…"

"A goddess," Ross whispered. "But I don't understand. Why can't she remember anything?"

River sighed. "When she was in the other universe, she was a mess. Left there for three months to put herself back together, and only barely."

The Doctor was devastated. To think he'd let this happen to a companion of his, much less his bond mate.

"You healed her," River told him. "After you released the Bad Wolf and her human biology became fully Time Lord with a little extra, you helped her heal her mind since it never had been. But with that, and the fresh bond, I wonder…"

"Since the bond was broken, her mind was also destroyed," the Doctor understood.

"I don't understand," Tegan spoke up. "How could they destroy her mind?"

The Doctor looked at his companion, not bothering to hide the emotions running across his face. "The mind is a precious thing, Tegan. Very private. Only for you and your bond mate and anyone else you invite in. For telepaths, forcing your way into someone's mind is the equivalent of rape. Destroying someone's mind is worse than murder."

The girl paled as she began to understand.

"So what exactly is left of her?" River asked him, apparently out of information on the subject. "She seems so lost."

"I'd guess that she's a shell," he managed to tell her. "Breaking a bond scars the mind as is. For her, it would be like pulling at a loose string and everything falling apart."

"And how do we fix her?" Ross asked. The Doctor considered the question.

"Put her in the zero room and I can work on it," he decided. "I don't want anyone else touching her mind."

"What about your bond?" he questioned.

The Doctor glanced at River. "You said it was made out of convenience. Why was it kept?"

"For safety," she said slowly. "And… she loves you. She always has."

He took a deep breath, unsure how to process that news. "I cannot bond with her. I shall heal her mind and then perhaps we can get her to her Doctor so they can do it."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Six hours after leaving Rose in the Zero Room, the Doctor entered alone with a tray of tea and sandwiches. She smiled distantly at him, picking up a cucumber sandwich. "Thank you."

"I told you I'd help you find your memories," he reminded her. "Are you about ready to do that?"

"Please."

"I have to enter your mind," he warned her. "I'll be able to see anything you know. I'll have to see it."

"I can't think of anything I don't want you to see," she told him peacefully. The words hit his hearts painfully. Consent in this instance was almost useless.

He raised his hands up to her head and pressed his fingers to her temples, slipping inside with no troubles. She had absolutely no wards, no shields or doors. Everything that made up the woman in front of him just lay on the floor, broken and lost.

"Rose. I'm going to start working. I'll pick up a memory and view it and then put it where it's meant to go, a bit like a puzzle. But there might be unpleasant ones, and you'll see those, too."

"Okay."

He tried to ignore the way she was absolutely unconcerned and plucked a random memory from the pile and viewed it.

 _The sight in front of him was a blonde girl sitting with a balding man, arguing heatedly over something._

" _You can't keep me here forever!"_

" _It's too dangerous," he argued. "You need a partner. Bring Mickey or Jake."_

" _Jake is on paternity leave," she reminded him. "And Mickey and I work together just about as well as we got along when we dated. Dad, please. Just let me go out alone once. I'll prove it to you."_

" _It's not that I doubt you, sweetie," he grimaced. "It's your-,"_

" _It's mum," she scowled. "She can't control my life forever! Let me go!"_

" _I did!" he reminded her sharply. "And then you disappeared for three months. Just for a little while, okay?"_

 _She glared at him. "Right. Fine. I'll just go see if there are any updates on the situation."_

" _You'd know if there were. We discussed this, Rose. We'll find another way."_

 _Rose stomped out of the office and slammed the door behind her. She huffed out a breath and hurried off, driving to a building that looked vaguely familiar to the Doctor. She rushed inside, the security guards simply nodding at her as she entered. She rushed downstairs until she reached a large, mostly empty room with only computers and a few staff standing around._

" _Agent Tyler," a woman nodded respectfully to her. "New orders?"_

" _Yes," Rose gave a slight smile. She knew her father would likely be rushing after her, which gave her little time to set things up. "Hook me up. Director Tyler changed his mind."_

" _He was very clear-,"_

" _We are not killing innocent children!" She yelled, startling the woman who nodded quickly, grabbing a helmet and some wires to hook them up to Rose. The Doctor watched in horror as Rose ordered the woman to use her as the weapon, to kill her. He saw her eyes turn golden after she died, and the memory faded away._

"Oh, my," the Doctor breathed as he processed what he'd just seen. She was obviously in the other universe and very human. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened that forced her to kill herself, but he assumed it had to be pretty bad. "Are you alright, Rose?"

"Yeah," she whispered. He assumed it just felt like a movie to her. It was too disconnected.

"Right. Onto another one."

 _The same blonde girl sat on a bed with a brown-haired man, resting her head on his shoulder as he rubbed her back gently._

" _Shh," he whispered. "It's okay, Rosie."_

 _The Doctor winced at the sudden and irrational pang of jealousy. Why hadn't he been jealous when she mentioned her ex, Mickey?_

 _She looked up at him with a certain vulnerability. "I'm scared, Jack."_

" _You're safe," he promised her. "I've got you, love. You're here with me."_

" _Don't let go of me," she pleaded. He held her tighter in response. "Don't let him get me again."_

" _He won't ever come near you again," he promised. "Not while you've got the Doctor and I."_

 _Her eyes shot up to his, looking even more scared than before. "Don't tell him. Please, Jack, he can't know about Jimmy. Just… just you."_

 _The man nodded easily, pulling her head against his chest as he kissed her hair. "Whatever you want, Rosie. I'll do anything for you, you know that?"_

 _She nodded with such certainty that the Doctor was sure she did know it and believe it. The pair shared a closeness, an intimacy that the Doctor had never seen before._

" _Thank you," she whispered. "I love you, Jack."_

 _He let out a chuckle and gently grabbed her chin so she'd look at him. He touched his lips to the very corner of her mouth, ever so gently, before pulling back to look in her eyes. "I love you too, Rosie. Forever and always."_

The Doctor placed the memory where he could feel it was meant to go and paused, shocked by how bad he felt for invading such an intimate memory even though he had to. "Rose?"

She took a second before she replied. "I'm okay."

With that confirmation, he dived back in. A few memories he could feel instinctively where they went, while some required viewing. It took a while before he ran into one of those again, and he was shocked by what he did find.

" _No, I don't do drugs," a young Rose said nervously to a much older man who had wrapped his arms tightly around her._

" _You've never tried," he reminded her. "You'll like it, Rose. For me?"_

 _Feeling an unproportionate amount of guilt, she nodded hesitantly. "I- I guess."_

 _He pulled back and shoved a needle hastily into her arm and pressed it into her veins. "There you go, babe. Just relax." The effects came almost immediately, and she wavered, leaning heavily against him. "Oh, there you are. Don't fight it. I've got you."_

 _She blacked out for what felt like a short minute before she woke up again, this time not at the club they'd been in but rather a messy bedroom, lying half naked on the bed. She let out a panicked gasp, glancing around her. Some of her clothes were torn and lying on the bed and floor, and she could even see her skirt on the floor in the living room just outside of the bedroom._

" _No," she whispered. "Ji- Jimmy!" she shook as she wrapped a blanket around herself, glancing around, terrified. There was a deep pain in her stomach and on her thighs, something she tried very hard not to think about._

 _She plucked her clothes up and pulled them on as fast as she could as she moved through the room and into the living room, where she was able to see the rest of the flat, which was just a kitchen and a table between the kitchen and living room._

" _You're awake," Jimmy announced, making her jump. "You were out for a long time."_

" _What… happened?" she asked him, scared. "It… hurts."_

" _I think you fell down some stairs," he lied lazily. "I put you in bed so you could rest."_

" _Without my clothes?"_

" _You were swollen."_

" _I'm going to go home," she muttered, reaching down for her skirt. He stopped her by stepping on it and getting in her way with a vile smile on his face._

" _You should stay," he suggested, pulling her closer by her hips and leaning down to kiss her neck. She pushed him away gently._

" _Mum will wonder where I am," she tried._

 _He pulled away and looked down at her seriously. "Rose. You will call her and tell her you're at Shireen's and then you will stay here all day. Understand?"_

 _She bit her lip, eyes wide. "Of course."_

This time, the Doctor stumbled out of her mind entirely after quickly placing the memory where it belonged. Rose sat, tense, on the bed. Her eyes were closed and her fists were clenched. The Doctor stepped out of the room quietly and into the kitchen and screamed as many profanities as he could remember at that moment before making his way back to her, practically vibrating with anger and horror.

"Did you have to leave that one?" she asked softly. "I don't… I don't want that."

"I have to," he admitted, angry with himself for saying it. "I can't get rid of any of your memories."

"I just… get the feeling there are a lot more like that," she told him.

"We can take a break whenever you want," he promised. "We'll go at your pace."

With that, they dove back in, albeit much more cautious now.

 _Rose watched, numb, as the Doctor disappeared into the mirror. It shattered inward as he did so, and she felt a sinking feeling._

 _He was gone._

 _He'd left without looking back even once. Without asking if she would come with. Without thinking about her for a second._

 _She felt her heart break at the true understanding that he wouldn't be coming back._

" _Can you believe him?" Mickey yelled angrily, bringing her back to the moment. "What a prick!"_

" _He's got to preserve time," she muttered without any emotion as she turned around and trudged back to the TARDIS with Mickey on her heels. She did her best to drown him out but eventually directed him toward the 2062 recreational room to keep him distracted._

 _And that was how they spent most of their time. Rationing food after a week, but aside from meals, Mickey went to his recreational room and Rose disappeared to a little corner in the library where she'd often find the Doctor hiding from the universe._

 _When Mickey began having a real reason to complain about meal sizes, she stopped eating altogether. It was worth it, honestly, just to keep him from complaining. How she'd ever dated him was a wonder._

 _It was a full week and a half after they'd run out of food that the Doctor had finally returned. Five and a half months after he'd originally left._

 _And Rose watched and listened as he ran off again, trying to find his French girl to bring along. The one he'd abandoned them for, to begin with. She told Mickey not to say anything about how long it had been and promised the boy he could return home soon before rushing off to her room and breaking down in tears._

The Doctor stood in shock. It was the first memory he'd found of his future self, but he was truly amazed, mostly that even after he'd abandoned her for so long, she still loved him. A rather loud voice inside of him pointed out that it was a clear sign of abuse and trauma. He focused back on the task at hand instead of examining that.

 _Rose screamed. She screamed out her pain, but more kept coming. Tears streamed down her face as she pounded angrily on the white wall, but nothing happened._

 _The scene shifted unnaturally as if some of the memory had been pressed together, folded over like paper. She was in a lavish bedroom, surrounded by dirty clothes on the floor and an old looking plate full of food sitting on the bedside table. She lay tired on the bed, looking thinner than she had just moments ago, and paler as well. She ran her fingers roughly over her thighs, hard enough that her long nails dug in and drew the tiniest bit of blood, enough to satisfy whatever urge had overtaken her._

 _The scene switched again to find her looking much better, although she had a manic look to her now. She was dressed in all black and standing next to two men with another man sitting across from them._

" _I assigned you partners for a reason," he told her, exhausted. "You can't just say no."_

" _No thanks?" she tried. "I appreciate it, but I don't need partners."_

 _Her father glared her down. "Look, Rose, I get that you don't give a shit about your life, but I do. We all do."_

" _The Doctor taught me how to do this just for fun," she glared, not appreciating his remark. Her parents kept claiming that she was trying to kill herself, and it bothered her greatly. "No one else will understand how we do things."_

 _The man, Pete, shook his head sadly. "Did things, love. How you did things. He's gone now."_

" _No, he isn't!" She yelled, reacting to the obvious trigger. "I'll find him again."_

" _It's not possible," Pete told her, speaking louder so she'd listen. "He told us! If we return to that universe, it all dies."_

" _I don't care," she said defiantly._

" _You don't mean that."_

 _She turned on her heel to look at the man to her left. "Mickey, you saw it. When I was with the Doctor, I was better, right?"_

 _He nodded slowly, looking as if he felt he was being set up. "You forgot to be afraid. You lived again."_

" _And do you truly think I can live like that again without him?"_

 _Mickey looked like a deer in headlights. "Maybe?"_

" _Mickey," she snapped. He deflated._

" _Of course not," he answered her. "Everyone saw it, Rose. That man was your soulmate."_

 _Rose looked back at Pete as if she'd won the argument. "Do you remember the first time we came here? When your first Jackie died?"_

" _Of course," Pete narrowed his eyes. The Doctor could tell they were entering dangerous territory._

" _It was like cutting off a limb, right?"_

" _She was my wife," Pete scoffed. "Of course it was."_

" _My point."_

" _I got your mother," Pete argued. "Maybe-,"_

" _There is no maybe!" she screamed, startling Jake, who had been zoning out during the argument, looking bored as if he had heard this before. "There is only one Doctor! I have to get back to him, and until then, I refuse to work with someone else, doing what we used to do!"_

" _You can't get to the Doctor," Pete snarled. "How do you know he didn't die? Or lose his grip and end up in the void? Would you tear apart the universes for something so uncertain?"_

 _Rose calmed suddenly, staring her father in the eyes. "_ Without a doubt _."_

The memory faded away, and the Doctor did his best to focus and not think about how deeply she loved him. A task that seemed to be impossible. "Rose? We're getting there. We're about halfway there. How do you feel?"

She took a moment before she spoke. "More like myself. Have you been… watching every memory?"

"Not all of them," he told her honestly. "Some of them tell me where they need to go."

She seemed relieved.

"Are you ready?"

"Sure."

 _Rose struggled, grasping at Jimmy's wrists as he held onto her throat tightly. He only laughed at her and spit on her chest as he shook her body. Just as she was about to pass out, he loosened his grip and she sucked in air desperately and greedily._

" _You thought I'd do it, didn't you?" he taunted her. "I'll never give you what you want, Rose. You're here for me, don't you get it?"_

" _Jimmy, please," she begged as he pushed her away from him. She slammed to the ground, coughing and trying to suck in more air. "I don't- I didn't mean to. I don't know what overcame me."_

 _He stared down at her for a long moment before he raised his hand. Despite it being a memory, the Doctor was sure he was seeing things in slow motion. His hand swung down and he slapped her across the face with such strength that she was pushed all the way to the ground and knocked her head on the tile._

The memory faded away as she passed out, and the Doctor came to, shocked silent.

"I know why he was mad," Rose told him softly, sounding just as afraid as she had been in the memory. "I didn't know what I was doing. I just wanted out."

"Whatever you did," the Doctor told her in a firm, quiet tone. " _Never_ excuses the things he's done to you."

"Can we just move on?"

The Doctor complied, grabbing the next memory randomly and playing it for them.

" _I have to get home," Rose told Jack, who was hugging her tight. "I can't be out that long."_

" _We can use my vortex manipulator and take you back at the right time. Just don't tell the Doctor," he winked at her. She glanced down at herself in surprise to find cuts littering her body from the fight._

 _The memory skipped ahead to standing in front of Jack again, arguing softly. "You don't understand. If my mum sees me like this, she'll think Jimmy got to me again."_

" _And that's… Jimmy Stone?" Ianto asked her. She confirmed the name, horrified, and he admitted that Jimmy was the man who had attacked her._

 _Jack expertly helped her calm from her panic attack, and she shook slightly as she looked at him, determined. "I want to see him."_

 _A short argument and very clear threats to Jimmy later and she found herself standing in front of him._

" _We have unfinished business, Rose."_

" _You couldn't kill me last time so you want to finish it now," she clarified, shaking her head. "Why do you have such an obsession with me? Just let me go!"_

" _You were supposed to be mine," he snarled, stepping closer to the glass. "You're a whore. You found another man to fuck," he accused, turning his gaze to Jack. Rose whimpered quietly and let Jack pull her into his hold, relishing in the comfort, the way he helped to ground her._

" _Stop it."_

" _I told everyone you became a hooker," he informed her. "Fucking everyone you could. Or were they disgusted by those scars? I told you, Rose, you fucked up your life with those. No one could possibly want you now. I was your only chance and you threw it away to become a street slut."_

When the memory ended, the Doctor retreated from Rose's mind as she began shaking. She looked on the verge of a panic attack, and the Doctor found himself lost.

"Rose," he whispered. "You're safe here. You're on the TARDIS, far away from him."

It took her a few minutes to calm down, but when she did, she raised her skirt. He looked away in shock, but she just scoffed.

"Doctor, I'm not taking my clothes off," she told him. He looked back to see she'd stopped moving it barely a moment after he looked away. He let his eyes trail over her skin, noting every scar. "He caught me. I was trying to kill myself, but I couldn't do it. He caught me. He almost killed me that night, actually. But he always said… these scars will always drive people away from me," she muttered. "I thought maybe they'd go away when I regenerated, but they stayed."

The Doctor paused upon hearing that last bit of information. "Only certain injuries caused by certain weapons can last through regenerations. How would this man know how to do that?"

Rose let out a humorless laugh. "Jimmy isn't human, Doctor. He's a Time Lord."

"Why would-," he cut off, eyes wide, confused and frustrated. "I don't understand."

"I don't know yet," she admitted. "But my future self seemed to know what it all meant."

"You're still dealing with him in the future," the Doctor whispered. Rose looked away, down at her hands. She couldn't tell any difference yet aside from her black hair was missing. She was still pale, thin, and short, but she hadn't looked in a mirror yet. It wasn't her biggest concern.

She bit her lip as she replied. "He abducted my future self and I. He killed her three times that day before you and Jack and River found us."

The Doctor's mind slipped to Jack again. "You're close with him. Jack, I mean."

She blinked at him. "Is that jealousy I hear?"

"Of course not," he scoffed. "Call it… curiosity."

She shook her head. "Jack is my best friend."

"He doesn't love you like that."

"I know," she agreed. "He's in love with me. I suppose a small part of me is in love with him, too. But I'd never be with him. I love you, Doctor. I've spent years chasing you. I could never love anyone anywhere near as much as I love you."

"Your friendship with him is confusing," the Doctor told her, trying to ignore her declaration of love. "It's so… intimate."

Rose looked at her hands as she answered him. "It's different, yes. He's always been the person I can tell anything to. That memory you saw of him in my room, that was right after a nightmare of Jimmy. He held me for hours, distracting me and telling me stories that I'm almost certain were not true. It's a complicated relationship, Doctor… it's funny, you know. Your future self in my first timeline and in this timeline, you were uncomfortable with it then, too. I think you thought he would steal me away from you."

"This doesn't bother him?" he asked, genuinely curious now. "Jack."

"Oh, he's in love with you, too," she waved him off. "In the sort of way you fall in love with a story. He's always known neither of us are meant for him. It doesn't change anything for him. He still treats me the same way. He'd treat you the same, too."

The Doctor fell silent as he processed her words. She openly admitted to being just a little bit in love with her best friend, and in the same breath told him that she'd only ever want to be with the Doctor.

"You're still confused," she guessed. He didn't reply. "You have to understand, the first time I traveled with you, our relationship was very different. I was different. I was still terrified. I was alone and running as far away from my trauma as I could. So were you. So I don't blame you for not noticing that something was off then. But Jack did. He'd watch over me as I slept and wake me when I had nightmares, hold me and make sure I was okay. The intimacy that I wanted with you, Jack gave me freely, knowing the entire time that he wasn't who I wanted. He has the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met, Doctor. I love him for that more than I can tell you.

"It was different when the timeline changed. I was older, mentally, and you noticed that. You paid more attention to me, out of pure curiosity, and you stumbled into Jimmy, something you never found out the first time. And then I became a Time Lady and you taught me everything you could, and you really got close to me. So, when we met Jack, I didn't need him as much… but I still wanted him. He still helped me whenever he could, and he still loves me. The least I can do is love him back, as hard as I can."

The Doctor listened and finally felt like he understood. "Thank you, dear, for explaining that to me."

"We have more to do," she guessed.

"We do. We can take a break if you need."

"I just want to remember," she admitted to him quietly. "I have so much, just… not all. And the pain, will that go away, too?"

The Doctor paused, unsure how to explain this to her. "While I've never experienced the full pain of the destruction of a bond, I've heard stories. It scars a mind horribly and in the worst cases, it changes a person. The pain and emptiness, loneliness can drive a person mad. I worry about how bonding once more will go for you. Since you're misplaced in time right now, only you've felt that horrible pain. I imagine I will ache when you return to my future self, feel the loss, but certainly not the pain."

She nodded slowly as another thought occurred to her. "Can I see a mirror? I don't know what I look like. What do I sound like?"

"Of course, my dear," he stood and offered his hand, which she took. The pair made their way from the. zero room to the wardrobe, where he suggested she change clothes as well. "Your voice is rather Scottish now. What were you before American?"

"British," she answered as she approached a mirror. She stared back at her new self in amazement. She was shorter by just a little bit with curly blonde hair and somewhat tan skin. Her eyes were brown now, the gold still shimmering around them. Her scars never moved, and she stroked one on her arm as she stared at the dimples on her thin face. She still had her septum piercing and was relieved to see that it still fit her wonderfully and hadn't hurt her during regeneration. Her dress was just slightly too big for her now, and she forced herself to turn to the Doctor. "I think I need some time to find something to wear if that's alright."

"Of course," he nodded. "Your friends have your jacket and your necklace. It'll need a new chain, but the locket itself is fine."

"Thank you, Doctor," she muttered, watching him as he turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind herself.

She considered herself lucky in that she didn't have the desire to wear something wildly different from her previous incarnations. She slipped into the 56th-century aisle and strolled through the shorts. After finding a good replica of 21st century ripped short shorts, she moved onto the jumpsuits. One caught her eye when she read the words "be gay, do crimes." She plucked it up, smiling faintly at the soft, pink flower set on top of a soft pink background. Satisfied with that, she moved to tights, where she found the perfect fishnets. After testing for her shoe size, she picked a red pair of doc martens and slipped them on before going back to the zero room where she found the Doctor waiting with her locket and jacket.

"I thought you might want them," he explained as she clasped the locket around her neck. He looked her over curiously and let out a small laugh as he read the words on her jumpsuit. "What a wonderful phrase. I did quite enjoy that era of human history, though the aggressive way that the LGBT community were being oppressed and killed has turned me off from taking companions for a visit. Did you know that it was a black trans woman that led the Stonewall riots? They tried to write her out of it, of course, but as word of the LGBT community and the people within it spread and became more understood, the people began fighting back against corrupt government. It was a long, long fight, but they won. Freedom will always win and it will always persist."

Rose stared at him with a sideways smile on her face. "I assumed that my shirt meant something along the lines of 'fight the patriarchy and destroy capitalism.'"

"Well, overall, you're right."

She shook her head, surprised to have heard his heartfelt lesson on that period of earth history. "So, um… how are River and Ross doing?"

"They are worried," he admitted. "But much more relieved to know that you're getting better."

"Doctor," she looked at him nervously, twisting her hands together. "I need you to tell me just how bad this is going to mess me up."

He considered her request, unsure what to tell her. "Truthfully, I don't know. There's a good chance that, because of the way the bond was attached to your memories, it destroyed some of them. I don't know how easy it'll be to rebuild the bond, and if you do and it ever is broken again, it could be fatal to you."

Rose sucked in a breath, suddenly afraid. "And for you?"

He shook his head. "I only got a whisper of what it felt like to you. What I felt was a bond suddenly appearing and then it was torn away, not like you'd left but as if someone stole you away. If it ever happened again, I'd be fine, but you would not. It would take a lot of mental therapy to be able to bond again, and only the time lords are trained in that since there have been a few cases of something like this happening."

Rose nodded and sat herself down on the bed across from him, ready. "Okay. Go ahead."

The Doctor touched her temples and dove into another memory, surprised to see Jack again. There was no way to sort the memories, though the ones with more emotion were stronger, being held onto out of fear or love and sometimes both.

" _And what will you do if you get into trouble?" The Doctor asked the hopeful pair._

" _Call a Doctor," Rose replied cheekily, biting her tongue with a wide smile. The Doctor shook his head and handed her a small, rectangular device._

" _Place this under your watch," he instructed, watching as she took her watch off her wrist and did as he asked. "If your heart rate, adrenaline levels, and brain activity register fear, I'll come to get you."_

" _Yes!" She laughed, wrapping her arms right around him. "Thank you, Doctor! You won't regret this!"_

" _And don't take that off!" He yelled at her as she grabbed Jack's hand and sped to the door. "It won't alert me if you do, so stay out of trouble!"_

 _She didn't reply as she closed the door behind them, staring out at the glitzy world around them. New Las Vegas. She'd always wanted to go but the Doctor had a search warrant and death penalty awaiting him, so for Rose's 20th birthday, he decided to let her and Jack have a week there._

" _Where to first?" She asked, looking to her best friend. He wrapped an arm around her and looked around._

" _I'd say… the bank," he reasoned. "We have to get some cash to activate the credit sticks the Doctor gave us. Then, the nearest casino."_

 _The image faded away as she clung excitedly to his arm, staying close. Now, Rose sat next to Jack in a tiny prison, her beautiful gown ripped to shreds and Jack's suit not much better. He'd placed his jacket on her shoulders and was singing softly to her, petting her hair to keep her calm._

" _Jack, you don't think they're really going to-,"_

" _Quiet!" A man yelled from outside the room_

 _She huffed and leaned against him further to whisper softly in his ear. "You don't think they actually intend to sell us, do you?"_

 _He looked exhausted and couldn't seem to come up with the false hope she was looking for. "It's likely, Rosie. New Las Vegas does have a problem with sex trafficking, but it shouldn't start until-,"_

" _Until 5572," she nodded, pale. "And if the Doctor wasn't as precise as he meant to be?"_

" _Then we're in very big trouble and we need to get out of here," he whispered. She sighed dejectedly and rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes._

 _Thirty or so minutes passed with no change before they heard keys in the lock of the door. After an eternity of fearful anticipation, the door opened to reveal a tall woman in black heels that looked as if she were dressed for a board meeting or possibly PTA._

 _The woman looked between the two for a long moment before muttering something to the guard in a different language. They'd gone to the planet specifically because it was one of many that used the core language of the world, Asym, a language that Jack learned as a child and Rose had been taught one long weekend on the TARDIS. It wasn't that hard truthfully and followed many of the same rules as English._

 _The guard told the woman something, and she nodded in understanding. "Stand up," she told them, this time in Asym. Rose got the impression that she had tried to say it before but had used her native language instead._

 _Jack nudged her gently, and she understood what he meant: do what the scary woman says. She stood and resisted the urge to throw a punch when the woman tried to separate her from Jack. The woman saw her anger and seemingly found it amusing, stepping back to watch as the pair sought each other out once more._

" _I'll take them both," she told the guard with a nod. An exchange of credits was made before the guard handed her the remote to the device he'd implanted in both of them that controlled every pain receptor in their body. With the press of a button, every piece of them would hurt so agonizingly that they fell to the ground and eventually passed out. They'd learned that lesson the hard way when the guard attempted to undress Rose, apparently to be viewed for sale._

 _The trip to the woman's ship was quick and silent. She didn't bother to introduce herself, and neither did Rose or Jack. Rose watched as he broke his wrist and tried to break free, but the cuffs on their hands only tightened, and he'd stopped._

 _The flight from the planet lasted a short two hours, leaving Rose to assume that they were on some sort of space station or something of the like._

 _The pair were brought to a small bedroom with two beds and two wardrobes, bare of anything else except for restraints on the bed. Jack allowed himself to be tied down, preparing for what came next, only to be ignored as the woman then moved onto Rose. Rose struggled a bit more, screaming out when the woman used the trigger in an attempt to control her._

 _Finally, both were tied to their beds. Rose's eyes were squeezed shut, almost painfully so. She could hear Jack moaning, struggling, and was confused. The woman had only moved away for a moment before returning to Rose's side._

 _She was startled by the feeling of a needle pricking her skin at the inside of her elbow. Her eyes flew open, and she saw the woman staring down at her curiously as she began to struggle. She knew she'd been given a sedative nearly immediately as the effects began slowing her down until she passed out completely._

 _She awoke once more, panic rising in her chest._ Something had happened. _She knew it. More than the leftover drowsiness, her body ached. Her head hurt as if she'd hit it, and she coughed a little, feeling pained when she breathed in deeply._

 _Her eyes wandered to the other side of the room, where Jack was asleep. He looked fine otherwise, aside from the gag in his mouth. His fists were clenched and he had a few marks just above his restraints like he'd fought them much too hard. Like rope burn, except whatever was holding them was much too soft for that._

 _Finally, Rose did what she dreaded the most. She looked down at herself._

 _She was wearing blue cotton scrubs, but they were crooked as if someone had put them on her in a rush or without much care. She also saw red soaked into the fabric and knew it was her own blood._

 _She didn't really want to take stock of all the pains throughout her body. It made it more likely that she remembered or had some hint as to what had happened._

 _To her relief, the door opened and she stared at a strange woman entering the room. She was different from the one that bought her and dressed as Rose was. She avoided eye contact expertly, gently removing the gag from Jack's mouth and ignoring Rose._

" _Don't hurt him!" She yelled. If there was ever a time to break her silence, it was before her friend got hurt._

" _We cannot hurt him," the woman replied softly. "He is a man."_

" _You… aren't going to hurt him?" Rose blinked, suddenly very confused but relieved._

" _Men are holy," the woman confirmed. "We save those that we can. That is why we took your friend here. The slavers would have sold him off to someone that would hurt him."_

" _And what about me?"_

 _The woman finally looked up at her with a mix of sympathy and submission. "Us women are taken as well and given to the men. We clean for them, cook, and allow them to release their frustrations. And when we are very special, some use us."_

 _Rose felt revulsion run through her. "Use?"_

" _Yes," the woman nodded quickly. "You are very lucky indeed. Powerful, they said. They tested your durability, your future. You'll be broken in tonight. Your friend will one day have the chance to do it as well."_

 _Everything in Rose wanted to plug her ears and close her eyes and wait for everything to go away. That part of her life was over. Being a slave. Belonging to someone. She escaped that, she got away._

 _The woman gently slapped Jack's cheeks after untying him. It was her mistake, though. He shot up and grabbed her by the throat, slamming her against the wall. She was compliant, didn't fight or even look scared. She just stared at him, waiting. He took a long minute, either controlling his temper or figuring out what to do, Rose didn't know._

" _Release us," he demanded simply._

" _Of course you can go," the woman nodded quickly, opening the door for him. He threw her to the ground and raced to Rose, wincing at the sight of her. He untied her quickly and picked her up, heading for the door as the woman looked up. "But you mustn't! She's the property of men, now!"_

 _Jack ignored her and regretted it the moment he tried to leave the room with her in his arms. She let out a shrill scream as her body went rigid. A blue light appeared in the doorway, stopping Rose from leaving. He stood and stared down at her in horror before looking to the woman. "What's your name? Where are we?"_

" _I am Elissa. We are on a space station orbiting Kaiyan."_

" _Why can't she leave? Why are we here?"_

" _You were saved," Elissa told him in confusion. "She was brought as a gift for you and the others."_

" _Jack," Rose whispered, clinging to him. "She said they were going to… break me in tonight."_

 _Jack's eyes sharpened and he gave her a small nod. "Why can't she leave?"_

" _She hasn't been given a chip yet," Elissa explained. "Every slave-woman has a chip so that if they run away, they can be brought back to their owners."_

 _Rose felt a sob rise in her chest at the words._

" _And me?"_

" _You're free to do whatever you please."_

 _He glared at her. "I want to take my friend and leave and never come back."_

 _Elissa looked lost. "I mean… I suppose you can do that," she contemplated his request. "But she cannot leave this room without being chipped and registered to you."_

 _Jack looked down at Rose, who nodded quickly, desperate to leave. She was still drowsy and still felt the usual panic at being in that state. She just wanted to be safe again. "Fine. Do that now and then let us leave."_

" _Of course," she nodded quickly, rushing from the room. Once the door closed behind her, Jack walked over to the bed he'd been lying on and set Rose down gently, pulling her into his side._

" _Once we get out of here, the Doctor can remove the chip," he assured her. She nodded shakily, sniffling._

" _Have you heard of this place?" She asked him anxiously._

" _I have," he confirmed. "But obviously not enough. It's a trading planet, mostly. It gets destroyed mysteriously by a giant bomb sometime in the near future. It was quiet, stayed out of trouble."_

" _What about this? The way they… worship men?"_

 _Jack breathed out slowly, trying to remember. "It's a planet of women. They reproduce asexually for a very long time until some neighbors came and a man had sex with a woman. It created a sort of widespread virus that infected the wombs of the entire planet. They couldn't have kids anymore without men, but men were a rare commodity around this galaxy. So whenever they find any, they worship him. Women were offered as slaves, mostly to reproduce and ensure that their race didn't die off. They still only gave birth to girls."_

 _Rose was quiet after his explanation, relaxing into him as he stroked her hair and held her close. Nearly thirty minutes later, the door opened once more and Jack stood, blocking Rose from view._

" _I've got your chip," Elissa told them. "May I?" Jack stared at her suspiciously as he stepped aside. Elissa kneeled down in front of Rose. "I need your neck, please." Rose bit her lip hard and turned, pulling her messy blonde hair out of the way. She felt a cold wet wipe across her skin and sucked in a breath. A sharp pain bit into her skin and her back before receding. "All done!"_

" _Did you put that in her_ spine _?" Jack yelled, racing over to look at the blood dripping from the back of her neck. "Fuck!"_

" _It is tied into her DNA now, as well as the soul," Elissa explained. "If she tries to remove it, she will die."_

" _Oh my god," Rose whispered, covering her mouth with her hands._

" _Beyond that, she is required to follow any orders you give her," Elissa finished. "Forever."_

" _Fine, can we go now?" Jack snapped furiously._

" _Yes," Elissa agreed readily. "I've prepared a ship for you. It is waiting just outside."_

 _Jack grabbed Rose gently and pulled her out of the room, relieved when she wasn't stopped. The ship was waiting next to the sidewalk, big enough for a week-long trip with food and things on board._

 _The trip back to New Las Vegas was much quicker than imagined, and once they arrived, they called the Doctor. They found a relatively quiet cafe and sat to wait._

" _There has to be a way to get it out," Jack muttered. Rose had refused to speak of it so far, and it had driven Jack crazy. He felt extremely guilty for the entire situation. "We'll just ask the Doctor-,"_

" _No," Rose snapped. Jack blinked, surprised by the tone. "We're going to tell him that we had a good time, got drunk, and celebrated my birthday. He can't know about this."_

" _Rose, you're_ hurt _," Jack argued. It was true. She'd woken up bleeding and with bruises and was sorer by the minute. "He has to check you out."_

" _Fine, then we tell him I fell down some stairs," she waved him off. "But nothing about this."_

" _Why?"_

 _She looked away from him, her mind wandering to the last time she'd been made less than a person. The years she had spent, a ghost of who she was, existing only to serve._

" _Rose," Jack said loudly, grabbing her wrist. She looked up, startled. "I won't tell him."_

The Doctor gently pulled out of Rose's mind to find her frowning heavily as if she were confused. "Are you okay?"

"I didn't remember that."

"Well, you lost your memories. We're working on it."

She shook her head at him. "No, I mean I didn't remember it before I lost my memories just now or the first time. Why?"

The Doctor paused, surprised as he contemplated her question. "It's possible you blocked it out somehow. Any work that you did on your mind would likely have survived through the transition of being human to being a Time Lady. Humans can't regularly block out memories without working on it for a long time. The only other possibility I can think of is…"

"What?"

He looked at her sympathetically. "It is possible that Jack ordered you to forget it."

Rose blinked fast, feeling as if she'd had the wind knocked out of her. "He would never do that. He'd never take my memories from me."

"Even if he thought or knew it was what you wanted?"

She let out a short breath, shaking her head. "No, no, he wouldn't."

"You're scared," the Doctor told her. "I think that's perfectly normal."

"If he did, then what else could he have taken away? And why would I remember now?"

The Doctor considered the question. "It's possible that the Mara tried to destroy whatever chip is inside of you and disturbed it enough to break whatever orders he's given you. Like… resetting it."

"So if that's what happened, then that's the only memory, right? Because there are no others."

The Doctor shook his head regretfully. "I found that memory where I found all the others - waiting to be placed. The Mara shook it loose but I had to put it back."

Rose shook her head again, breathing fast. "But I died and the TARDIS pulled me back into this body. It shouldn't be there. Right? I didn't experience that in this body."

"I have two theories. One is that you did experience it in this body, and the other is that the woman was telling the truth and the chip is connected to your soul. Some planets have shapeshifters and bodiless beings and it is possible to connect to their being and not the bodies that hold them. The technology became extremely popular for prisoners and… things like what happened to you."

"I have to ask him," she muttered shakily. "I have to know what happened."

"Let's focus on rebuilding your mind first," the Doctor suggested gently. "You may find more memories."

"Right," she whispered, nodding at him. "Go ahead. Please."

The Doctor raised his hands and touched her mind, grabbing at the first memory he could see and wishing as hard as he could that it was a good one to distract her.

 _Rose sighed, sorting through shirts in the dressing rooms. She had been at work for barely an hour and already she'd been harassed by an old woman and screamed at by a self-righteous businessman._

" _Excuse me," a voice called. Rose looked up tiredly and breathed out at the sight of a woman. She had short, blonde hair and stood awkwardly, looking around and up at posters on the walls. "Do you think you can- oh. Hello… hello," the woman smiled at her, obviously surprised._

" _Hello," Rose replied to the beautiful woman. Something about her felt familiar in an odd sort of way, mostly because Rose was certain she'd never met the woman before._

" _Um, I was hoping you could help me find a nice coat," the woman explained. "I've been to a bunch of stores and found nothing."_

" _Of course," Rose nodded, setting the shirts down in a quickly forgotten pile. "What are you looking for?"_

" _Oh, I don't know," the woman grinned at her. "What do you think? It'll go with this outfit."_

 _Rose looked her over and knew right away. "A light blue coat, I think. We've got something that would work. I told my mate Shireen to buy it but she hasn't bothered."_

" _Lovely," the woman nodded. "What's your name?"_

" _Rose," she replied. "I'm Rose."_

" _I'm Joh- um, Jessica," the blonde woman told her, blinking as if she were surprised by her own name. Rose led her over to the coats and picked up a lovely pale blue jacket with a dark blue lining that was just dramatic enough for the outfit. "Oh, I love it! It's just perfect."_

 _Rose grinned brightly, Jessica's excitement contagious. "I'm glad."_

 _She expected Jessica to walk off but was startled when the woman pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you, Rose. You don't know how much you've given me."_

 _Rose watched, stupefied, as the woman gave her a genuine smile and walked away._

"Oh my god," Rose gasped as the Doctor placed the memory. "I never realized. That's you, isn't it?"

"How could you tell?" The Doctor asked, surprised himself. He never thought much about becoming a woman one day, mostly because he'd been a man for so long.

"It's your eyes. It's always your eyes."

"Ready?"

"Sure."

" _And what exactly happened?" the Doctor asked, irritated and worried as he led Rose and Jack to the med bay, which was farther down the hall than usual. "New Las Vegas is a peaceful planet!"_

" _I know," Rose replied tiredly. She was drained. She didn't want to deal with the demanding Doctor. "I fell down some stairs and lost the watch. Drank a little too much."_

 _The Doctor narrowed his eyes at her. "You don't look or smell drunk."_

" _I gave her my patented hangover cure," Jack lied easily. "Sobered her up, but she's still hurt so we figured we'd end the trip early."_

" _Good idea," the Doctor muttered, looking down at Rose's clothes. "Where did you get these?"_

" _The infirmary in the hotel," Rose muttered. "Can we please just hurry up? I'm tired."_

" _Jack, go get her a new outfit," the Doctor ordered as he pulled out a scanner and a waved it over Rose absently, plucking a bottle off the nearby shelf as well. He pressed a few buttons on the scanner that sent the information to the computer at a desk across the room. "Take this," he told her, handing her a pill and a small cup of water. She did what he asked as he walked away and breathed out in relief as some of the pain dissipated._

" _It's really not a big deal, Doctor," she told him, jumping down from the table. "It doesn't hurt that bad."_

 _The Doctor was silent and she saw him frowning heavily at his screen. Nervous, she stepped closer. On the screen, she could see Old High Gallifreyan scrawled in different places. There was an image of a body with multiple different spots of red in the abdomen and one purple spot lit up in the lower right side of the stomach. "What did you say happened?"_

" _I… fell down some stairs," she told him, feeling sick now. "Why?"_

 _The Doctor stood and walked over to her, frowning heavily. "These injuries did not come from a tumble down the stairs."_

 _Rose bit her lip and shrugged. "I don't feel too bad."_

" _Right now," he corrected sharply. "You have internal bleeding and multiple fresh wounds sealed by a crude device that never sees the light of New Las Vegas. You also have a ruptured appendix."_

 _Rose's eyes widened. "Holy shit."_

" _What happened to you?" he demanded, though she saw the clear worry in his eyes. Luckily, Jack walked back in the room with a pair of pajamas for her, aware that she likely wanted comfort rather than another pair of jeans. "Jack, what happened to her?"_

 _Jack froze, staring between the two, looking almost equally afraid of them. "Rose-,"_

" _Jack, please."_

" _He might be able to help," he told her firmly. "We have to tell him."_

 _Something in Rose shocked her, and suddenly, unwillingly, she nodded. Jack realized at the same time as her what happened, and his eyes widened._

" _I'm sorry," he shook his head at her. "I didn't mean to. I forgot."_

" _What the hell is happening?" the Doctor yelled, gaining both of their attention. "Someone better tell me right now."_

 _The pair shared a long look, and when Rose refused to speak, Jack did it for her._

" _We were abducted by some sex traffickers," he began, jumping right into it. The Doctor stiffened, his eyes firmly on Jack's. "Sold to a woman. They took us to Kaiyan."_

" _Kaiyan is peaceful," the Doctor nearly yelled._

" _I know," Jack shook his head tiredly. "They knocked us both out and when I woke up, Rose was up and hurt. They let us go when I asked them to, but before they would, they put a… this thing in Rose that makes her… obey me. It registers her as belonging to me."_

 _The Doctor stared at Jack for a long minute before turning around to look at Rose, who was staring blankly, the only way she felt she could avoid crying. "He said you had to tell me and you nodded."_

" _It hurt," she whispered. "It was like I couldn't even control my own body. I just nodded."_

 _The Doctor breathed deeply, anger shining in his eyes. "Why the hell wouldn't you tell me?"_

" _Doctor, it's not important," Jack told him, trying to grab his attention as Rose was reminded of the exact reason she didn't want the Doctor to know._

 _She knew he'd want to do a more intensive scan, make sure absolutely nothing was wrong with her, and she knew he'd see scars and see her remember, see her think of the way Jimmy had treated her. She put so much energy into masking that part of her life, ignoring it and ensuring the Doctor didn't see it. Memories of Jimmy grabbing her throat, pressing needles into her arms, hitting her, making her do the chores and devote her life to him flooded her mind, and she was swept away in the awful history._

" _Rosie," Jack's voice interrupted loudly once more. She let out a sob as she realized she'd been lost in her thoughts, and felt his hands on her cheeks. Staring into his eyes, she tried to ground herself. He slowly, gently pulled her close until her face was pressed into her chest, and he rubbed her back slowly as she calmed herself down, focusing on the familiar smell and feeling of Jack._

 _After what she was sure was hours, she sucked in a deep breath and pulled back to nod at Jack, who cupped her cheeks again, wiping tears from them. "It's okay," she promised._

" _If you need to go lie down-,"_

" _It's okay," she repeated, closing her eyes and relishing the feeling of his hands on her cheeks. She pushed his hands away gently and stepped back to look at the Doctor, who was staring at her with wide eyes, completely unsure of what to do. "I'm sorry, Doctor."_

 _His mouth fell open in surprise. "Sorry? You're sorry? For having a panic attack?"_

 _She just shrugged lightly._

" _You don't have to tell him," Jack reassured her. "He has no right to demand to know."_

" _He doesn't," she agreed. "But it's just not worth the secret anymore. It's exhausting."_

" _Do you want me to-,"_

" _It's fine," she promised. "Do you mind if we talk alone?" Jack responded by kissing her cheek and walking out, leaving the pair alone. The Doctor walked across the room and picked up a paper and plastic package and a small bottle and paced back over. He opened it and she tensed._

" _We need to take care of your injuries first," he told her. "This will safely dissolve your appendix and clear up the bleeding."_

 _Rose stared at the needle, afraid. "Isn't there anything else we can do?"_

 _The Doctor shook his head. "The other option is surgery and an IV. This is the least invasive and most advanced way of healing you that I have on hand."_

" _I just… don't like needles," she muttered. Her fear was evident, especially after such a recent run-in with anesthesia. "Please, Doctor."_

" _There's nothing to worry about," he promised, poking the top of the bottle with the needle and measuring out the right amount of the medicine. "It's quick and painless."_

" _No, it isn't," she told him, turning away when he tried to grab her arm. "Please, Doctor. No needles, no anesthesia."_

 _He looked at her, completely stunned. "Well… I've never tried it for an appendix or anything internal, but we may be able to use the dermal regenerator gun."_

" _Gun?" she asked. "I thought it was just a small device."_

" _It is, usually," he agreed. "But I've been tinkering with my spare one and I turned it into a gun for a situation like this in case you got hurt too bad."_

" _Please try it," she asked him._

" _I'll have to adjust some settings," he explained. At her nod, he moved to a bench and sat down with her pulling a chair up nearby to talk with him. He began working immediately, and she took a long minute to gather her thoughts._

" _Doctor," she said. "What do you know of my life before you?"_

" _Your dad died when you were a baby, your mum raised you, you dropped out of school, you dated Rickey, and worked as a shop girl until I blew up your job."_

 _She nodded slowly. "That's all true. But between dropping out of school and dating Mickey, I was with this guy named Jimmy. I was fifteen, he was nineteen. We… dated until I was eighteen, and I moved back in with mum and started dating Mickey."_

 _The Doctor hummed absently to show he was listening, and she took a moment, trying to figure out how to get the words out. "He hurt me really bad. He drugged me, he hit me, he… did things while I was unconscious. For years. I was trapped. I still am. I only started dating Mickey because he kept me safe. I had a routine, I had Mickey near me as much as possible, and I was safe because Jimmy still wants to kill me. He never managed to over all those years…"_

 _The Doctor had stilled as he listened, and she could see he wasn't even breathing. "Is that why you ran away?"_

 _She was caught off guard by the question. "Yes. You took me far enough away that he couldn't chase me anymore. I'm safe here… or I was."_

 _The Doctor turned around as it all sunk in. "You didn't want to tell me what happened."_

" _I'm tired of being a slave," she admitted. "I just want to be me. And now I'm stuck to Jack, and I'm_ registered _as belonging to him, and I have to obey him. It's all the same. I know he'd never hurt me, but it's terrifying."_

 _The Doctor nodded. "And you don't like needles because he-,"_

" _Because he drugged me every day," she confirmed. "I'm terrified of them. Every time I wake up from anesthesia I feel like I'm back there again like I've never really left and he's going to hurt me again, he's going to try to kill me again, and I can't-,"_

" _It's okay," the Doctor promised, placing a hand on hers. "No needles, right? We have a different way."_

" _Doctor, what about the chip?" She asked him fearfully. "Can you get rid of it?"_

 _The Doctor sighed a sigh that she recognized, the one he gave before bad news. "The only chip fitting this description is one that can't be removed once it's been placed. I'm afraid to mess with it, either. There's a chance that any interference would cause it to detonate and kill you."_

" _I'm stuck like this," she breathed._

 _The Doctor gave her a pained, short nod. "Jack will have to be careful what he says, but perhaps you can look at this as a good thing. In the case that we land on another planet like that, you will be protected. There is no chance of you being claimed or sold off because you already have a chip."_

" _I already belong to someone, you mean," she shot back, still just as disgusted. "I can't believe you're taking this so well. I expected you to be furious or scream or something."_

 _The Doctor let out a humorless laugh. He looked overwhelmed as he tried to remain calm for her. "I am furious. I can't describe how angry I am right now. I'm also terrified for you. The thought of someone hurting you like that for so long just…" she watched as he trailed off, and a look she'd only seen once before entered his eyes, the look he'd had on his face when he'd met the Dalek. The Oncoming Storm. It gave her shivers to see such a powerful weapon - and yes, it was certainly a weapon - showing just for her sake. Somehow, it made her feel guilty._

" _It's not like he's still hurting me," she reassured him, afraid he'd be angry with her for what she went through. "I'm fine now."_

" _Rose," the Doctor scoffed. "You had a panic attack just thinking about him. He is most definitely still hurting you."_

" _No, no," she disagreed quickly. "I'm not strong enough. I ruined my life while I was with him, I did so many things…" she trailed off, unable to name those things. He didn't need to know, she told herself. He couldn't know or he'd be angry with her. "I know he reacted strongly, Doctor, but honestly most of the time I provoked him."_

 _The Doctor stared at her as both of his hearts cracked in half. She obviously truly believed her own words. "Rose, I need you to listen to me very closely. There is absolutely nothing you could've done that you would deserve what he did to you. You were abused for years, and he's manipulated you into thinking that it's your own fault."_

 _She closed her eyes, unable to look at the pity he felt for her. "It isn't important."_

" _It most certainly is," he disagreed sharply. "You don't get to walk around life carrying the guilt for someone else's actions."_

" _I'm guilty for what I did," she corrected him, eyeing the object in his hands as he screwed the last screw back into place. "I know he shouldn't have- oh!" she doubled over, her hands flying to her stomach as it cramped painfully. She felt the wind knocked out of her in pain, and she gasped for breath as the Doctor helped her sit upright and scanned her stomach with a handheld scanner. She saw the wince before he spoke._

" _It's the appendix," he told her. "The TARDIS must be helping to keep your injuries in stasis, but that's not what the TARDIS is meant to do. We need to get rid of it immediately."_

" _Is the dermal regenerator ready?" she asked in a gasp. He shook his head regretfully._

" _It'll take another few minutes, but if we don't do this immediately, you will die, Rose."_

 _She looked between him and the needle that had been discarded on the counter. "Fine. Fine, just… can you just… hold my hand?"_

 _The Doctor was startled by the request, but he nodded as he picked up the needle and tapped it a few times. She grabbed his hand and focused on counting the veins she could see. He didn't react when she flipped it over to count the other side. Without warning, he pressed the needle into her skin, and she let out a gasp, her eyes closing tightly. Unable to see, she swore she could feel Jimmy's breath on her neck and his body pressed up against hers in bed._

" _Rose," the Doctor called. Her eyes flew open, and her hand flew to her arm, where he'd placed a bandage. "It's okay. All done. Your appendix is gone, and you're safe. We can use the dermal regenerator for the internal bleeding. It isn't too bad right now."_

" _Doctor," Rose frowned up at him. "Please don't hate me."_

" _Why would I hate you?"_

" _Because now you know that I'm… tainted," she whispered fearfully._

" _Oh, Rose," he breathed, grabbing her face gently. She met his sad eyes and forced herself not to look away. "You are just as beautiful as you were before I knew about this. The only tainted person is Jimmy."_

" _Can I ask you a question?" she asked. He waved her on and she took in a breath, forcing herself to be brave. "Can you take some sort of test to make sure they didn't…" she trailed off. "Do anything else while I was asleep?"_

 _The Doctor looked startled as if the thought hadn't occurred to him. He nodded shortly and waved his scanner over her once more before looking down at it again, frowning at the results. "I don't think they did, Rose, but…"_

" _What is it?"_

" _It's your uterus," he explained, turning the scanner around to show her. "It's horribly scarred. Did you know about this?"_

 _She thought back to one night in particular early on when she'd gotten mad and threatened to leave him and have sex with another man. In his angry drunkenness, he'd shoved her down and she'd hit her head. When she woke up, there was blood between her legs and pooling underneath her. A quick trip to the hospital revealed that he'd tried to shove a knife inside of her while she was unconscious._

" _Yes. I remember that one mostly." the Doctor winced at the words and nodded, taking one more look at the scan before he set it aside and finished working on the dermal regenerator. When that was done, he carefully aimed it at the different spots on her stomach and healed her up easily._

The memory ended abruptly, and the Doctor considered pulling out of her mind, but at her quick persistence, he continued on cautiously. "There isn't much left, just a couple more memories."

 _Rose sat with Jack in Torchwood, reading over his shoulder. "A Weevil in London," she read. "What's a Weevil?"_

" _Sort of like feral cats," he explained lazily, running his fingers through her hair. "Suzie and Owen went out for it."_

" _So, what are we doing today?" she asked him. "The Doctor still claims the sight of you gives him a headache, so it's just us."_

 _Jack rolled his eyes at her words and turned around to pull her into his lap. She let out a surprised laugh and wrapped her arms around him. "I was thinking we have a date."_

" _Ooh, a date," she winked. "Ice skating?"_

" _Definitely not," he disagreed. "Not unless we get you drunk first. I need a handicap."_

 _She let out a laugh and nodded. "Right. So, what then? I don't want to return to the Doctor a sloppy mess."_

" _Yeah, this Doctor doesn't do well with drunk Rose," Jack agreed. "Leather and big ears just tucked you into bed and left you water."_

" _I think you mean that this Doctor likes to drink," she corrected with a laugh. "He just gets too drunk to take care of me."_

" _Which I don't mind," Jack flirted shamelessly. "That leaves me to take care of you."_

" _Oh, and you do it so well," she promised. "Our date."_

" _Ah, yes," he nodded, thinking. "How about a walk through London? We can get cocoa and people watch."_

" _Sounds lovely," she agreed, hopping up. She pulled her coat back on and waited for Jack to do the same and set the coordinates on the vortex manipulator. Holding his hand tightly within her own, she watched him press the button and groaned at the uncomfortable feeling. She looked around at the shops around them, a smile spreading over her lips._

" _I believe I mentioned cocoa," he reminded her, tugging her lightly toward the nearby Starbucks. "We're in 2015 right now. I figured a time hop might get us some better drinks."_

" _Brilliant," she nodded, following him to the store where they stood in a rather long line for their drinks. After they ordered, they stood at the end and waited for their names to be called. "So, how long has it been?"_

" _Only a couple of months," Jack promised. "You guys?"_

" _The same," she told him in surprise before turning serious. "We actually stopped off to drop off Mickey. And I needed to see you. The Doctor did something monumentally stupid and I can't help but feel like there's no possible way he cares for me."_

 _Jack shook his head, irritated with the Doctor for obviously hurting Rose so much. "Rosie, the only reason I haven't truly made a move on you is because you're in love with the Doctor. More than that, he's in love with you. Whatever he did, I'm sure he had good intentions that got extremely messed up and misunderstood."_

" _He ran off to Paris in the 1800s without a way back, effectively stranding Mickey and I on the TARDIS for months. I had to stop eating because I just wanted Mickey to shut up. And the Doctor didn't even notice! He was just upset that his little girlfriend had died."_

" _Holy shit," Jack shook his head in surprise. "I didn't think he'd fucked up that bad. I'm sorry, Rosie."_

" _Just distract me," she pleaded. "I really needed to see you."_

" _I'm always here for you," he promised her, kissing her cheek. She smiled up at him, letting go of some of the hurt from the Doctor's trip to the past as she relaxed in Jack's presence._

" _I know," she agreed. "Sometimes I wonder why I can't just be with you."_

" _Because life isn't fair," he reasoned. "And the pair of us together would be an unreasonably attractive couple and the universe just can't stand it."_

" _Of course," she laughed, plucking her hot cocoa from the counter and pacing back over to him. She removed the lid and blew on the drink slowly as she followed Jack out of the store and into another nearby one. After placing the lid back on, she looked around slowly. "Where are we?"_

" _It's a local witchcraft store," he said offhandedly. "Most of this stuff is pretty harmless, but there's a stone here that is actually from Neculax 8 that I think you'd like."_

" _A stone?"_

" _A ring," he corrected himself. "It's your size, too."_

 _She didn't bother to ask how he knew her ring size. She had half a mind to think he planned on proposing someday. It would be fitting with their friendship. Getting the intimacy she craved from Jack while pining after the Doctor until the day she died, even though she did love Jack. A whole mess, she thought. "So why do you want to get it for me?"_

" _Because it helps to protect a person," he explained. "Only for so long, but as long as you have it, it'll fend off certain attacks. It's really alien technology, but I thought it fitting that it ended up on your home planet in your hometown."_

" _Thank you, Jack," she smiled softly. He led her over to the ring and she was surprised by its beauty. It was something similar to fire opal and sat on a gold ring. He placed it on her right-hand ring finger and kissed her cheek when her body was covered in a soft red light for barely a second._

" _Don't take it off after we buy it," he instructed firmly. She gasped as that old feeling raced through her and she felt her neck burn._

" _I won't take it off," she said unwillingly in a flat tone. Jack winced, closing his eyes._

" _I'm sorry, Rosie. You can take it off if you want. Just remember it'll protect you if you have it on," he said, and the feeling receded until it was gone completely._

" _I'm going to go pay," she said. He nodded and handed her his card, aware that she always needed a moment away from him after such an instant. He turned to look at a book near the front door while she had her back to it and spoke in soft tones to the cashier, who placed her ring in a small black box and then a small paper bag before handing it over._

 _Jack's eyes fell on a shopper in the back who was hovering directly across from Rose. He saw the man reach into his pocket and pull out what was clearly a gun._

" _Rose! Put the ring on!" he screamed as he raced to her. He watched her body jerkily comply, but neither of them were quick enough. The bullet sunk into her shoulder just above her heart, and she was thrown to the floor. The cashier dropped to her knees behind the counter, and Jack tackled the man that shot Rose as he tried for the exit and pulled his hat off to reveal Jimmy snarling at him. "You."_

" _Why don't you go save her?" Jimmy taunted. "Either she dies or I do. It's your choice."_

 _Jack punched him hard on the face before rushing over to Rose, trying to focus on her as Jimmy stumbled out of the door. He programmed the vortex manipulator and pressed the button, sending them to a hospital._

 _She was knocked out in the jump, the vortex manipulator too rough for her gentle condition. When she woke up again, she was lying in bed with Jack and the Doctor arguing quietly in the corner. She strained to hear them, ignoring the pounding in her head as she did._

" _-don't think it's a good idea," the Doctor was saying. "Messing with memories is a dangerous game."_

" _But you think it's possible," Jack asked. The Doctor confirmed with a short nod._

" _We couldn't visit you any longer," the Doctor told him, sounding grave. "You'd have to change her memories. That day never happened, you two went on vacation. You never met her again after the Game Station. None of it would have happened for her."_

" _Of course," Jack agreed. "I know what I'm talking about, Doctor."_

" _-don't understand why you think this is the only option."_

" _She shouldn't remember being shot by him," Jack rationalized. "And it only hurts her more to see me and have to do everything I say, even on accident. I hurt her more than I comfort her now, Doc. She'll be okay with you. Tell her I went to do something heroic. Don't tell her I died."_

" _Fine."_

" _Doctor?" Rose called out tiredly._

" _Rose," he gave her a big smile, walking over to her. "You're up!"_

" _Doctor, what were you two talking about?"_

 _The two men exchanged a glance before focusing back on her. "Rose, we think it would be best if Jack removed your memories of everything."_

" _No!" she snapped immediately. "I don't want to forget anything!"_

" _Rose, you need to," the Doctor told her. "This has gotten out of hand. You've had nightmares about it ever since it happened, and it only gets worse every time we see him."_

" _He's my best friend," she argued. "You can't take that away from me. I need him."_

" _You'll be fine with the Doctor," Jack assured her._

" _No, I won't!" she glared. "I told you why I came to you today. I need you, Jack. He doesn't understand! He won't!"_

" _Understand what?" the Doctor asked, totally lost now._

" _See? He didn't even realize anything was wrong before and he doesn't realize it now," Rose begged. "Please."_

 _Jack placed a hand on her cheek. "I love you, Rosie. But you know that we can't continue like this. I don't mind it, we're both being selfish. You get to have someone who cares for you in this special way, and I get to hold onto you just a little longer. But it can't last. For you, it's the Doctor or no one. I'm not in the running, love."_

" _I love you," she whispered, tears running down her cheeks. "Don't make me forget."_

" _I love you too," he promised, now fighting his own tears. He glanced up at the Doctor for a short moment before he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She kissed him back, desperate to keep him there longer. Their lips were pressed hard against one another and Rose felt a tear drip onto them, though she was unsure whose it was. Far too quickly, he pulled away and looked down at her. "Rose, you have to forget. Forget that we missed New Las Vegas, forget that I can control you or that you're registered as mine. Forget that you told the Doctor about Jimmy. Forget that we've met after the Game Station. Forget all the moments we've had since I kissed you and ran off. Forget the kiss we just shared. But never, ever forget how much I love you. Never doubt that you are probably the love of my very, very long life. Never forget that you belong with the Doctor. Hold onto that and fight for it always… and don't forget to wear your ring. I love you, Rose. Now go back to sleep."_

 _Rose's eyes shut slowly, and the image of Jack disappeared._

Rose opened her eyes and sat across from the Doctor, her heart racing. Her fingers came up to her lips, still feeling the ghost of the desperate clash of emotions that was shared in that kiss. So much of these memories made no sense. She'd never gotten close to Jack in that particular way. He'd never said out loud that he loved her so deeply or that she didn't feel the same.

Her eyes drifted down to her fingers, where she saw an old, worn out ring on her right-hand ring finger. "I didn't even know that was there."

"A perception filter," the Doctor suggested, speaking for the first time. "So you wouldn't question where it came from."

Rose fell silent, still trying to process the memories. "Is that… all of them?"

"That was the last one," he confirmed.

"My head still… hurts," she muttered to him.

"It will for a while," he said regretfully.

After a long minute, she stood. "We should go. We've been here too long already and they're probably worried about me."

"Be safe, Rose," he requested. "I don't know how long it'll take to get back to your Doctor but be safe."

"I'll try," she assured him. They said a quick goodbye and Rose left the room, rushing to the kitchen where she found River and Ross sitting together in silence. They both perked up at the sight of her, though she saw clear worry on their faces. "Time to go. Ready?"

"Already?" River asked her. "Don't you need more time to recover?"

"I need to get back to my Doctor," Rose stared. "Let's go."

"Right," Ross agreed, grabbing her arm. Worry in her eyes, River did the same, and Rose sent them away.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	24. Last Blood

**So, my beta is currently busy with school, work, and life. I'm hoping that I could find another - if anyone is interested, let me know in the reviews and I'll shoot you a message!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Last Blood**

Rose fell to her knees upon landing, letting out a cry of pain. All of it was back - all the noise and now, screams. It truly hadn't occurred to her that the protection from the voices would be stripped from her now.

"We're on Gallifrey," Ross said frantically. "She can't protect herself. She's screaming her pain mentally."

"How can we help her?" River asked him with wide eyes. "Can we ease the pain?"

"I don't want to attempt entering her mind," he said slowly, thinking. "It's one thing for the screams to echo to the few around you, but Rose must be transmitting her pain to the entire planet at least. With her recently scarred mind, she needs quiet. Usually, when someone loses a bond, they're placed in a zero room for weeks to heal the mind and get the mental silence they need. Rose only got a few hours."

"What do we do?" River repeated, rubbing Rose's back slowly.

"Perhaps if she summoned the Bad Wolf for protection… but I don't think she can even hear us," he admitted.

River leaned in closer, placing her hands on top of Rose's. "Rose, love, can you hear me? I know it's hard, but I need you to focus. The only way you can block out the voices right now is to use the Bad Wolf for protection, okay? You need to shroud yourself in that energy."

She pulled back just a little bit and waited impatiently, watching Rose suck in slow, deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Ross grabbed River and tugged her back further when Rose pulled herself to her feet and lit up gold, the light just settling softly on top of her skin and hair. Her eyes were pure gold again, and she looked much calmer.

"It is the Goddess!"

Rose's eyes shifted to the man standing with a small group of people. The man knelt down, the others following suit quickly. She tilted her head at them, understanding passing through her as she looked at the timelines. Gallifrey was nearing the end, but they were missing one very important part of the puzzle.

She moved closer and focused on the image of an elegant box in her mind, her hand out in the air. A small part of her split off and into the box, the part that would be necessary for the end. She could feel the two pieces of herself separately, the one that was standing in front of the Time Lords, and the one that was settled inside the box, waiting for their Doctor. And it was for him, after all. All of it was for him.

The golden light fell from the box and back into her and she handed it to the man closest to her. He took it, looking at her in awe. "My Lady?"

"It is said that I will come to you when you have no hope left," she announced, looking between the small group of people. "And that is true. When you have no hope, no options of remaining the way that you are, go to this box. I will be there. But beware - this box will cause destruction that you have never seen before. I give this box to you when you are without hope, without witness, without reward. Remember, virtue is only virtue in extremis."

"Thank you," the man in front of her said, staring between her and the box. "Thank you, my Lady."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Rose let go of her friends as they landed on what she could already tell was earth. She could also tell they were in the wrong time. Opening her eyes, she saw a TARDIS nearby, as well as some kids with guns - they were in America.

One kid turned in their direction and pointed, and Rose acted before she thought. She raised her hand and a golden light formed a barrier between them and the kids. The bullet ricocheted off of the shield and buried itself into a nearby brick wall. As soon as the kids had rushed off, terrified, she lowered her hand and squeezed her eyes shut again.

"Wrong place, wrong time," she muttered, silently offering her hand to her friends. "I can't deal with another wrong Doctor. I just need to get back to mine."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint."

She wasn't even surprised. With a tired sigh, she turned around and opened her eyes to the sight of an equally exhausted looking Doctor with a severe-looking face, brown hair, and a sweater with question marks all over it. Shaking her head, she took a step back. "We've got to be going."

"You saved my life," he called out. She tilted her head, confused.

"How so?"

"You and your friends appeared right in front of me, and then you stopped the bullets that were sent at all of us. I'd likely be dead if you hadn't come."

Rose's took in a deep breath to access Bad Wolf's power. The Doctor was right, she saw. He'd have been shot by a gang member and killed, then taken to the morgue where he would regenerate. Still, she wasn't too worried. He was almost certain to get shot again anyways. The timelines were intact.

"Your eyes, they're-,"

"No offense, Doctor," she put her hand up to stop him. "But it's really exhausting explaining everything to you over and over again. We're just going to go, and you can get on with your life."

"What do you mean, explaining-,"

Rose rolled her eyes and grabbed her friends, sending them off as fast as possible. She didn't relax again until she found herself what felt like just a few decades in the future - 2020, but still in America, standing outside the Detroit Institute of Art.

"You think he's in there?" Ross asked. River was frowning as she turned around, looking at the buildings and people passing by.

"We're only a few years ahead of your time," River told Rose, glancing at a paper sitting on a bench. "Jack may be around here somewhere."

Rose nodded slowly. "That would be helpful if I had a way to get us there. I'm starting to feel a little…"

River nodded firmly. "We need to get you to the TARDIS. Why don't we head inside and look for the Doctor?"

Rose focused on her breathing as her friends helped her inside. She was feeling weaker with every second and had to lean on them somewhat to stay up.

"Hopefully he's not too far in," River muttered, looking around. "I wish we could ask around."

Ross glanced around before he noticed a security guard standing in front of a door and made his way over. "Excuse me, sir. We're looking for a friend of ours, he's called the Doctor?"

"The Doctor and his team are busy," the man growled. "You'll have to come back later."

"No, I know," Ross nodded quickly. "It's just that his wife is here and she's very sick. She needs his help."

The guard looked over to Rose, who was using all of her energy to keep the golden glow of the artron energy inside of her body. She knew it only did more damage, but she had to sell it. After a moment of hesitation, the man nodded and went into the room behind him.

"Good thinking," River complimented as Ross took his place on Rose's left once more. The trio stood for a long minute tiredly as they waited for the undoubtedly harrassed guard to come back. To no one's surprise, the man looked harried when he passed through the door again. He waved them inside silently, likely just happy to be done with all of them.

Once inside the room, they got a good glimpse at a painting of a woman in a sundress dancing in a garden that had been vandalized, written on in a language that was certainly not English. The Doctor stood in front of it with a frown on his face, and Rose's tired frown turned into a small smile upon the sight of Sarah Jane Smith leaning against a wall, annoyed. She looked as if the Doctor had told her to bugger off, honestly.

"Doctor," Rose called out. She pulled away from her friends and managed to limp over to the Doctor, who had turned around as if he hadn't already known they'd entered the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt, really. I was going to leave, especially because of the bond, but I need to get to the TARDIS-,"

"Slow down, girl," he requested, looking her over. "Who are you? What's wrong with you?"

"I'm Rose Tyler," she introduced in a rush, grabbing a nearby wall to help hold herself up.

"But Doctor, who is she?" Sarah Jane asked, eyeing Rose curiously. "How do you know her?"

"I don't."

"The best I can say…" Rose blinked furiously, trying to get her eyes to focus. "Is that I'm a future companion. I have to get to the TARDIS or I'm going to… oh… shit…"

"Rose," River called out, rushing forward as the girl swayed horribly. River's eyes met the Doctor's. "She needs to drain the excess Artron energy into the TARDIS or she'll regenerate again and she only did a few hours ago."

"I see," the Doctor nodded firmly. He was obviously still suspicious, but he could see the need to heal her first. Something in him immediately trusted her, and he couldn't tell what it was, but he listened to it. "My TARDIS is just a room over. Why don't we get you settled in the med bay and you can tell me what's going on?"

The group agreed and the Doctor picked up Rose easily and carried her into the next room and then into his TARDIS. It was old with a bunch of circles decorating the walls, though it was otherwise plain with only a console in the middle of the room. He passed through there quickly and placed her on a table in the med bay. River pulled him back and he watched, amazed, as she let the Artron energy release back into the TARDIS, who sang a soft, comforting song back to her.

With all of the dangerous energy gone, she breathed a sigh of relief, feeling better than ever. She opened her eyes in time to see the last of the energy sinking into the walls of the room. Once it was all gone, the TARDIS went back to singing her usual song, and Rose looked to the four other people in the room. "Right."

"We could always just go," River reminded her. Rose seriously considered it for a moment, blocking out the Doctor's protests before she shook her head.

"No, I think you're onto something. It's possible the Doctor can get us closer to my time and then my Doctor can come pick us up."

"The Doctor isn't doing a thing before you explain what exactly is going on," the Doctor snapped. Rose looked back at him and really took in the sight of him this time, giggling quietly over his choice of outfit. "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm sorry," she shook her head. "It's just… your scarf. I can't believe it hasn't caused you to regenerate yet. It's so long!"

"That's what I keep telling him," Sarah Jane piped in. Rose shook her head, amused. Her happy moment was cut off by a stab of pain in her mind, and she did her best not to wince. From the look she was getting, she assumed she did a poor job.

She raised her hand before the Doctor could speak. She knew she had to explain a few things or he wouldn't cooperate. There was always the option of just stealing the TARDIS, but she figured it wasn't her best idea she'd ever had. "I'm Rose. That's River and Ross."

"Yes, thank you for the introductions, but what are you doing here? And how can you manipulate or hold so much Artron energy at once?"

"Would it be easier if I told you she's the Goddess of Gallifrey?" Ross piped in. He didn't seem to care about the glare he received.

The Doctor's gaze shot back over to Rose, who looked and felt absolutely murderous. "I am not a Goddess!"

"You just gave a mysterious box to the Time Lords for the last moment without hope," River pointed out. "You may not want to be, love, but you're definitely a Goddess."

Rose scrunched up her nose in annoyance and turned back to the Doctor. "It's a long story. All that energy was from using Bad Wolf. It's lethal if I hold too much Artron energy at once for too long. I can wait a few trips before dumping the excess energy, but then it becomes dangerous."

"And how long has it been since you did that?" the Doctor asked her. She shrugged lightly.

"Not that long, but I just regenerated and did some major healing aside from that, and I was using Bad Wolf to speed up the process. She was also helping with the pain."

"And what exactly do you want from me now? Assuming I believe you, that is."

"I just want you to take me back to… maybe 2004? Not any earlier, a few years later is fine, it doesn't matter. I just need to get in contact with a friend of mine so he can call your future self. I'd do it myself but only calls from recognized phones can call the TARDIS, and I gave you my phone to upgrade it."

The Doctor considered her request. "I've been tricked before."

"Many times, I know," she agreed. "If I could just show you a single memory-,"

"You will not enter my mind," he interrupted firmly. She put her hands up and nodded.

"Then you can enter mine, but I have to warn you, it's a mess. Everything is still so fresh, you couldn't touch anything."

"What does she mean, enter her mind?" Sarah Jane asked the Doctor. He just looked annoyed at the interruption, so Ross answered her instead.

"Time Lords are telepathic. By touching her temples, the Doctor could enter her mind and see whatever she wants to show him. It's a rather intimate gesture, but appropriate in desperate times like now."

"If you see anything you don't like, feel free to kick us out," Rose suggested. "Just a quick look, a quick memory. Please."

The Doctor nodded once, though he looked extremely uncertain. "Everyone out."

"Doctor!" Sarah Jane protested. River touched her arm gently and led her out of the room with Ross behind them, leaving the Doctor and Rose alone.

"Doctor. My mind is very messy. I have to warn you not to stray from what I show you. It'll be painful to look at and painful for me."

"Why is that?"

Rose breathed out slow, running her fingers through her soft curls. "Because my bond was recently destroyed by the Mara, and my mind fell apart right after. I left with my friends as soon as it was finished being pieced back together. That was probably only a few hours ago."

The Doctor said nothing to acknowledge her and only raised his hands. Prepared this time, she nodded slowly and closed her eyes as his fingers gently touched her temples and he fell into her mind and into a memory she'd been thinking of already.

 _The Doctor, all ears and leather, paced in front of Rose in the library as she raced to finish writing on a piece of paper. The Doctor stopped pacing at the same moment that she stopped writing, and she handed the paper over to him. He looked down at the three paragraphs of Old High Gallifreyan writing, satisfied to see that she'd written an essay in their language._

" _So?" she asked nervously, wringing her hands together. "How'd I do?"_

" _Beautifully," the Doctor announced with a large smile. "This is amazing, Rose! You were born to be a Time Lady, I just know it."_

" _Does anyone else know it?" she questioned lightly. He shook his head._

" _Just us. And I'd say you've nearly perfected it, and quickly, too. I'm almost out of basics to teach you. Just poetry, but poetry is boring."_

" _Had it in school," she grimaced. "No thanks."_

" _I've got all sorts of books," he said softly, kneeling down next to her. "Maybe you could get your GED."_

 _She shook her head. "I'm not desperate to learn or live that regret anymore, Doctor. You're teaching me all sorts of amazing things that I never could've dreamed of learning before."_

" _Good," he stood again, grabbing her hand and pulling her up at the same time. He dragged her out of the library and to the console room where he positioned her at the console. "Now take us to your mum," he instructed, making a disgusted face all the while._

" _Doctor!" she exclaimed, jumping back from the console as if it had burned her. "I can't."_

" _You know everything," he assured her. "Every piece that you need to know is right up there," he promised, tapping her head lightly. "Now, take us to your mum so we can get in and out as fast as possible."_

 _Rose shook her head and stared down at the console, surprised to find that she did actually know what each thing did. Slowly, carefully, she piloted the ship as well as she possibly could on her first try. It ended with both of them on the grating, but they'd landed about as well as the Doctor did each time._

" _I'm so proud," he told her as he helped her up in an unusually emotional moment. "You're incredible, Rose Tyler."_

" _And you're fantastic, my Doctor."_

The Doctor pulled carefully from Rose's mind, noting the mental scarring as he did. Their eyes met, and she was certain he believed her.

"I know you're curious," she told him before he could ask questions. "But I'm genuinely so tired of explaining myself to every incarnation of you. Can we just go with the trust for now?"

"For now," was his reluctant reply. She relaxed greatly before a thought occurred to her.

"Do you have anything at all in here that could help this…. Headache?"

"My dear, nothing but months in the Zero Room can help with a broken bond," he denied. "I am very sorry."

"It just… it gets worse as time goes on," she explained quietly. "And I can't even fix it until I get back to where I'm supposed to be."

"Then why don't we get you to your friend?" he suggested. She nodded gratefully and pulled her jacket tighter, zipping it up slightly.

"What about whatever you're working on here?"

"I can't translate it," he explained, looking frustrated at the words. "Whatever did this is old, and gone. Time travel."

Rose blinked in surprise. She knew she could very likely help him, but the pain in her mind and the urge to get home was overwhelming. "I need to get to London, 2004. Like I said, anytime later is fine, but please be careful not to go earlier… I'd take us myself, but I've done so much that I'm exhausted, and I really don't want to regenerate again."

"Of course, my dear," he agreed, leading her back to the console room where Sarah Jane stood with River and Ross, talking quietly about the Doctor, future, and past alike.

"-never stops being rude," River was agreeing lightly. The Doctor looked offended, but Rose just let out a small laugh.

"Rude and not ginger," Rose piped in, leaning against a wall near the door.

"Well, if we're all done discussing me," the Doctor sniped. "We're going to try to get Miss Tyler as close to home as possible."

"Where is home?" Sarah Jane asked. Rose gave her a small smile.

"London, 2006. But in this case, I need to go to Cardiff, 2004, or a few years later."

"Cardiff, 2004, here we come," the Doctor nodded firmly. Rose made her way to the other side of the console to help, grateful that travel was, for the moment, not physically demanding. Once she flipped the last switch, she nodded to the Doctor, and he sent them off.

The sound of the TARDIS landing was a comforting sound, and she breathed in deeply before grabbing the screen from the Doctor. They'd landed a few blocks away from Torchwood Three, much to Rose's relief. The year was only a little off, too - 2007, much better than she'd expected.

"Here we are!" the Doctor exclaimed, looking over her shoulder at the monitor. "Is 2005 alright?"

"It's great," she promised. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Good luck, Miss Tyler."

Quick goodbyes were said and soon, Rose and her friends were off of the TARDIS and making the short walk to Torchwood Three.

"So, explain who Jack is to me," Ross requested.

"Captain Jack Harkness," Rose announced distractedly. She felt betrayed by his actions in the previous timeline, and she knew she couldn't even confront him on it. She had to wonder why he hadn't forced her to do anything without knowing, but the more she thought about it, the more odd moments piled up in her mind. With an anxious feeling sinking inside of her, she managed a smile for Ross. "My best friend."

"I thought River is your best friend."

Rose shrugged. "She is. She's family. Jack is… different."

"Jack is always different," River added. "They have a complicated relationship."

Standing outside of the small shop by the water, Rose sucked in a deep breath before heading inside. There was no one at the desk, so Rose just walked to the keypad and entered the numbers she'd gotten from Jack the last time she'd seen him. She hurried into the hallway and stood to take in a deep breath as she looked at the team bustling around inside.

"Rose," Tosh called out with a smile. "River. What are you guys doing here?"

"Need to see Jack," Rose replied. "It's an emergency."

Tosh just sighed. "It always is… he's in his office."

Not bothering to thank the woman, Rose moved on and took the steps to his office two at a time. The door was already open and she saw Jack placing what looked like a Unitarmium pistol into a box - a good move in Rose's opinion. They were excessively dangerous and had a mind of their own, literally.

"Rosie," Jack looked up with a grin when he noticed her. "I wasn't expecting you. We didn't call."

"Yeah, we, uh… need your help," she shook her head, finding it hard to talk to him.

"I see," he hummed. "Sit. Explain. I'll do what I can."

Rose felt nauseous as her body sat down without her and even as she tried to fight it, she began speaking. "We've been bouncing around from Doctor to Doctor. I can't get us directly to the right time and the right Doctor no matter how hard I try. An incarnation of the Doctor took us here and dropped us off. I would've asked him to take us to my Doctor but the timelines pull so tight when I think of that option and it just… hurts."

"You need my help getting home," Jack understood. She avoided his gaze, playing with her curls to distract herself. "Rosie? You okay?"

"Yeah, fine," she lied quickly. "I'm just tired. I regenerated a few hours ago."

"River," Jack winked as he looked at them. "Who's this handsome man you're with?"

"Ross," River replied easily. "We kidnapped him off Gallifrey."

Jack looked shocked. "You were on Gallifrey? How?"

"It was an accident," Rose spoke up. "And I'm trying very hard not to go back."

"What about me?" Ross questioned.

"Believe me, it's… it's better, mate," Jack waved him off before turning back to Rose. He could always tell when something was really wrong. "Rose, what's going on?"

"I can't talk about it now," she told him bluntly. She was dealing with too much, she didn't have the energy to get into what he'd done in the previous timeline, especially because he hadn't actually done it in the current timeline… though she knew he would if it had come to it.

Jack's eyes were full of concern and she had to look away as he began to speak again, sitting forward to pick up his phone. "I'll call him, but he hasn't been picking up lately."

"I know... I usually pick up," Rose realized. "Try calling my phone? I left it with him to upgrade after he finished his repairs."

Jack nodded silently and dialed her number, only to shake his head when it went straight to voicemail. "He must've already turned it off." He dialed another number and sighed when that went to voicemail, but didn't give him the option to leave one because he had too many. After that, Jack sighed and put his phone down.

"Great," Rose breathed, tilting her head back. "We're a year too early and the Doctor doesn't know how to pick up his damn phone."

"I don't know how else to help," Jack admitted. "You guys could hang around until the Doctor swings by again, but…"

"But it might be the wrong Doctor again," Rose nodded. "I get it. I guess I'll just… try again."

"Rosie," Jack called as she stood and moved to the door, pushing River and Ross in front of her. The pair were talking quietly together as Rose turned to look at Jack. "Tell me this, okay? Are we okay?"

The question hit her heart and her face fell. "I don't know, Jack. I just need some time."

He nodded and she left the room, unable to say anything else. She knew he was confused and worried and probably a bit hurt, too, but she couldn't handle it at the moment.

The group of three moved into Owen's medical area and Rose grabbed onto them, sucking in a deep breath before she sent them flying away.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

They were on Gallifrey again, but there was something different, something wrong. They were much too far ahead, almost as if they were at the very edge of the universe and at the end of time. It was also… quiet. Subdued, as if they were hiding from the rest of the universe. Rose couldn't hear anyone else, and she almost wondered if everyone had died.

Someone had come to retrieve them, bringing them to the room the Doctor had originally left Rose and River in, to begin with. There was a full room of people in there, including an old woman hunched over the table, scrawling on paper wildly. Rose's eyes moved from her to the man with the giant collar at the end of the table.

"Rassilon," she glared.

"Rossindherlem," Rassilon welcomed, ignoring Rose for the moment. "You have been gone for a very long time."

"I got swept up," he replied slowly. "It wasn't exactly my choice."

"Rassilon," Rose said again, louder this time. The man turned to sneer at her, annoyed with the interruption. Rose's eyes flashed and she saw him, really saw him. He'd murdered not only Romana but also the Doctor's brother and another friend of his, Leela, all to get power again. He'd handed a large amount of Time Lords over to their enemies just to regain the power he'd rightfully lost. Rage sweeping through her, Rose let Bad Wolf take over and stared him down as he looked at her in wonder now.

"It is the Goddess," a woman whispered.

"You will leave my friends alone," she ordered. Rassilon, understanding and fearing her power, nodded.

"Whatever you wish, my lady."

Bad Wolf faded to the background, leaving Rose there, comfortable with the safety of her friends. Starting a fued with Rassilon was not something she wanted or needed. It would take too much time, and she had none of that.

"Where is the Doctor?" she asked sharply. "Take me to him." The council looked between each other, and Rose lifted an eyebrow. "What?"

"The Doctor refuses to leave his mother's home," a man informed her. "He's waiting for… something."

"We've sent someone to retrieve him," Rassilon told her. Her eyes flashed with irritation.

"You mean to bully and possibly shoot him," she sniped back. "Call them back, put me on that plane with them. He won't listen to you."

"I'm afraid it's too late," someone else winced. "They're already there."

Irritated and vaguely worried for the Doctor's life, Rose let Bad Wolf overcome her once more, though this time only to teleport onto the plane. She missed just a little bit and found herself perfectly underneath it.

There was a group of men on the ground, wearing official robes that she assumed were from the High Council. She pushed herself to the back of the group, giving herself enough space to see but also out of sight. The Doctor was nowhere in sight, and she found herself looking at some sort of barn.

"What's going on?" she asked someone nearby who looked to be a civilian.

"The Doctor, he refuses to leave," the woman answered her. "The general is calling the President. He'll be here any second."

Rose sighed and waited, only hoping that Rassilon would not mention her. There were armed soldiers teleporting in, and the last person to teleport was Rassilon, who stood at the front, ready to confront the Doctor.

Finally, the door opened. Rose was shocked by the man she saw. He was old but still attractive. He had furious eyebrows and short, curly grey hair. He walked forward to a line drawn in the sand that Rassilon stood before and stopped. The two men stared at one another for a long moment before Rassilon offered his hand. Rose almost burst into laughter at the look the Doctor gave the man. Instead of shaking his hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden disk and threw it on the ground between them.

"Get off my planet," he stated simply.

"We needed to know," Rassilon defended himself and whatever heinous thing he'd done. "You have information about the hybrid, a danger to all of us. If you told us what you knew, you could've walked out of there!"

"Get off my planet," the Doctor repeated, slower this time, as if he was expending the last of his patience.

"You have nothing, Doctor, nothing. Do you know what I have out here, in the drylands, where there's nobody who matters?" Rassilon leaned in closer, and Rose tensed. "No witnesses."

"Me, too."

"Take aim!" Rassilon ordered. Rose felt Bad Wolf edging closer, ready to emerge but held back. She wasn't sure she was needed. "Aim at the Doctor."

No one moved.

"Fire on my command!" Rassilon yelled at them, pacing back to the line of soldiers. His eye caught on Rose's and he stopped in his spot, hesitating. Unfortunately, she wasn't enough. He kept moving until he stood safely between the soldiers. The Doctor looked around for whatever had made the President pause but, seeing nothing, turned his attention to Rassilon and the soldiers once more.

"Sir," the General tried, following Rassilon.

"Step forward," was Rassilon's harsh command to the soldiers around him. They were all uncertain. "And take aim. What's the matter with you?" He asked, his eyes flitting over to Rose once more, obviously wondering if she'd done something to them.

"Lord President, he's a war hero," the General explained. "Some of these men served with him."

"These men serve me!" He barked. "All of you!"

The soldiers lifted their guns finally and aimed them at the Doctor.

"On my command," he walked down the line and pointed at the Doctor. "Fire!"

Rose winced but trusted the part of her that knew it would be okay. Still, she felt the power of Bad Wolf rush through her and was ready to do something if she needed, but at that moment, she knew she wouldn't have to. All of the shots missed the Doctor and hit the barn instead.

"You missed," Rassilon stated as if it wasn't abundantly clear already. "All of you, every single one of you. How is that possible? What is it? Is the firing squad afraid of the unarmed man?" He grabbed the nearest man by the neck. "You. Explain."

"There was a saying, sir," the man said calmly. "In the time war."

"A saying?"

"The first thing you notice about the Doctor of War is he's unarmed. For many, it's also the last." The man stared the Doctor in the eyes and dropped his weapon, walking over to the Doctor to stare at everyone else.

As Rassilon stared on in shock and horror, each person in the firing squad dropped their weapons and walked across that small line in the sand to stand by the Doctor. Rassilon, angrier than ever, pointed his gauntlet at Rose, lighting it up.

"What did you do to them?" he yelled angrily. "This is my planet! My people! You are nothing! Watch as I destroy you-,"

"Rose!" the Doctor yelled out as he finally saw her, still glowing gold with the power of Bad Wolf. "Rose, get out of there! You have to leave! I have this covered!"

"Gallifrey is mine!" Rassilon screamed at her. She watched as his gauntlet fired at her and raised her hand, absorbing the blast.

"You have nothing," she told him. "I saw your end and now I bring it."

"Rose, don't!" the Doctor pleaded. "You don't have to do this, he was going to leave! Just let him leave!"

"But he'll die," Rose looked to the Doctor. "If he leaves Gallifrey, he will die. His power, his lifeline, it's connected to the planet. If you send him away, he will die slowly and painfully. This, my Doctor, is the merciful path."

The Doctor stared at her in surprise. "You don't have to do this. Not again. You don't have to save me, Rose."

Rose turned to Rassilon. "Then it is your choice. Would you rather die slowly in space with nowhere to go or here, now, peacefully?"

"You cannot kill me! I am Rassilon, Lord President of Gallifrey!"

"Then mercy," Rose nodded firmly. The Doctor called out to her as she divided his atoms, killing him in the most gentle way possible. Slowly, so slowly, he disappeared. The second he was gone, the Doctor rushed forward, running over the line in the sand to grab Rose as she fell to the ground, unconscious.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"She can rest here," the General told the Doctor as he placed Rose on a bed. "We can go to my office for an update on Gallifrey."

"We'll do it here," the Doctor ordered, sitting next to a very young Rose on the bed.

"Of course, sir," the General nodded. "May I ask…?"

The Doctor didn't reply. Something was wrong with her. She was… unavailable. His mind drifted back to his fifth incarnation and he felt sick. Their bond had broken - this Rose was unprotected completely.

"Anyways… Gallifrey is currently positioned at the extreme end of the time continuum for its own protection. We're at the end of the universe, give or take a star system."

"I know," the Doctor looked up at him. "Did anyone see her arrive?"

The General looked confused for a beat before he understood. "She arrived in the Council room before Rassilon and the High Council. Her friends were taken to a private room."

"Friends?"

"One River Song and-,"

"Great, bring them here," the Doctor ordered. "I've got things to do and I will not leave her alone."

"We can look after her, Lord President-,"

"I trust River Song to protect her with her life," the Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Can you promise me that whoever stays with her will do the same?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

" _Wolf! Wake up! Find our Doctor!"_

Rose shot up abruptly, feeling wide awake immediately, though admittedly sick.

"Woah," Ross took a step back from the bed. "Rose."

"Where is he?" she demanded, pushing herself out of bed. "Where is the Doctor?"

When neither of them answered her, Rose did the only thing she could think of, the exact thing that had put her in that bed before: she used the power of Bad Wolf to teleport herself into a TARDIS with the Doctor and Clara Oswald. She stumbled, gripping the console to hold herself up as the TARDIS sent them flying through time and space.

"Rose," the Doctor gasped, grabbing her. "Rose, you shouldn't be here."

Rose looked around and her eyes settled on Clara, who looked like she'd seen the end of the world and escaped. "What did you do?"

"I didn't- I had to, you don't understand-,"

"What did you do?" Rose screamed, stumbling over to Clara. "Tell me!"

"I don't want to forget!" Clara shouted. "I am entitled to my past!"

"Clara, what did you do?" the Doctor asked her, confused.

"I reversed the polarity," she told him shakily. "I did what you or Rose would've done. Tomorrow is promised to no one but I insist upon my past."

Rose turned to look at the small device in the Doctor's hands and promptly destroyed it. The use of the Artron energy once more made her sicker, and she held onto the console with both hands. Her eyes met Clara's once more. "Do not _ever_ presume you know enough about this universe. Do not _ever_ assume to know more than the Doctor. You don't know what memories you'd have taken from him. Gallifrey? That device is more advanced than anything you can dream of and it has to be programmed perfectly or it can do very dangerous things."

"He has no right to give me a universe of spectacular things and then rip it all away from me," Clara yelled at Rose. "He can't take that!"

"When you step on the TARDIS, there's a balance. You travel with him, but in doing so, you have to trust him to know what's best, even if you don't like that. I didn't listen to him once - or twice - and it killed me. If I couldn't regenerate, I'd just be very, very dead."

"Clara," the Doctor spoke up, glancing back to a girl observing it all. "Run. Go with Ashildr and run for as far and as long as you can. Don't think of me, think of the life you have now."

"I don't want to leave you, Doctor."

"You have to," he shook his head. "I don't know how long you have. So spend that time exploring on your own terms."

"Doctor-,"

Rose gasped, her arms wrapping around her stomach in pain, sending her to the ground. Ashildr beat both the Doctor and Clara to her and rested her head in her lap, looking up at the Doctor. "Take us to Gallifrey. Take her to your TARDIS. I'll make sure Clara and I get far away, very, very fast."

"They can't chase you too far away from here," the Doctor assured her. "Be careful."

OoOoOoOoOo

Rose awoke in her bedroom, thoroughly confused. She felt _awful_ and she wasn't sure why. She could barely bring herself to get out of bed, but she knew there was something she was missing, she just wasn't sure what.

She hobbled down the hall and heard voices coming from the kitchen, where she stopped at the door, looking at the Doctor sitting with River and Ross. "How did you find them?"

The three looked up in surprise, but the Doctor just answered her with ease. "They'd tracked down the TARDIS and were waiting there."

Rose nodded and walked in, taking a seat next to River, who wrapped a comforting arm around her. "I guess… we should probably go soon, then."

"No," Ross spoke up. "The Doctor figured it out."

"Yes," the Doctor agreed. "I've put us down near Torchwood, a half hour before you landed us there. I'll leave before we ever land, and you can head into the TARDIS after you see yourself leave."

"That's… brilliant," Rose blinked.

"I'm going to need a ride back to my parent's house," River added. "I'll ask Jack about that."

"And then there's me," Ross sighed. "Do you mind if I hang around for a while until I find somewhere to go?"

Rose shrugged, too tired to care. "Sure."

"I know you're tired, Rose," the Doctor told her. "But you should get out there. It's getting late and I have to leave soon."

"Right, of course."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

In the end, it turned out the Doctor had actually landed a half hour earlier than he meant to. After an hour of standing around out of view, the TARDIS finally landed. Five minutes later, a younger Rose ran out and to Torchwood Three.

"Are you going to be okay?" Rose asked River. Ross had his arm around her, supporting her, and she was leaning pretty heavily on him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me, sweetie."

"Oh, before I forget," Rose added as she and Ross began to walk away. "Put all of this in your new journal."

"New journal?"

"I put it in your bag," she told River. The woman nodded, and Rose limped slowly into the TARDIS, ready to finally see her Doctor once more.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

 _The TARDIS spun through time, dancing and taking care of her Doctor and her Wolf. Watching out for them._

 _Right then, years before, decades later, her Wolf was spinning wildly through time and space, trying to find just the right Doctor._

 _The TARDIS followed her carefully. Her Wolf didn't realize what would happen when she did get back - their Doctor would remember it all, including the bits he shouldn't know yet. So, the TARDIS cleaned up after her Wolf, obscuring those memories that he shouldn't have yet._

 _They would be okay. The Doctor, the Wolf, and the TARDIS. Their family would be okay._

OoOoOoOoOoOo


End file.
